


The Young Master

by HinataOC



Series: Lucky0Stars Collections [5]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, F/M, Forbidden Love, Kingdom Hearts 3, Lemon, Love, NSFW, Romance, Smut, Spoilers, Toys, Xehanort - Freeform, kingdom hearts - Freeform, kiss, opposite sides
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2019-11-27 13:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HinataOC/pseuds/HinataOC
Summary: A set of ficlets based on a singular storyline of Young Master Xehanort and a Fem!Reader set in KH3.Each of these fics are requested on my Kingdom Hearts Imagine Blog on Tumblr, Lucky0Stars.They aren't all in order and jump around in their timeline together, but they are all based on the same pairing.You're both on opposite ends of a war. Everything about him should repulse you, but instead you're drawn to the other.





	1. First Kiss

You stared out at the glimmering sunset, watching the stars beginning to speckle the darkening sky. A warm breeze rustled through your hair, the sweet scent of flowers teasing your senses. You were alone, everyone else on your team had already retired for the night after the exhausting day, but you couldn’t bring yourself to relax. The entire day, you couldn’t get Xehanort out of your mind. Everything you were fighting was because of him. His doing… yet… he was the only person that made your heart feel like it was alight.

Your eyes shut when you heard the unmistakable sound of a Corridor forming behind you, along with soft footsteps coming out of it. A flutter of emotions blossomed in your chest, along with the knot tightening in your gut.

“It’s not often I find you alone.” Xehanort spoke up, his voice making your breath catch. He came closer, his arm barely brushing yours as he came to a stop beside you.

You swallowed hard, fighting the urge to interlace your fingers with his. Your eyes opened, staying focused on the last slivers of sunlight disappearing over the horizon. “I just needed some air…” you whispered, unsure if he could even hear you.

“Thinking about me?” he asked, your heart jumping as your felt his fingertips against yours. He met them together, interlacing without permission, not that you would have refused him. You looked away without a word, making him breathily laugh. “Aren’t you taught to follow your heart’s desires?”

You were silent for a moment, thinking how to possibly reply without pouring everything out to him. Taking in a breath, you replied, “Not when it leads us to the Darkness.”

He hummed, his hand tightening around yours as his thumb barely grazed your skin. The sensation shot shivers up your arm to your face. He turned towards you, pulling you to do the same, but you kept your gaze averted. Grabbing your chin with his free hand, he forced you to look up at him. His intense, yellow eyes gazed back at you and you found yourself mesmerized by them. His hand slid down your neck, his fingertips toying with your hair. Your breath trembled as you struggled not to lean into his touch.

“You think I’m the Darkness?” he asked, his voice low and soft.

“I think you’re the enemy.” You whispered back, swallowing at the smirk he gave you in response. “You don’t have to be.”

He chuckled, his hand releasing yours and trailing to your waist, pulling you closer until your bodies were nearly touching. “No I don’t,” he agreed with you, his eyes dancing over your face as a warmth covered your cheeks. “You don’t have to be either.”

You put your hands on his chest, meaning to push him away. You had to, needed to, push him away… but for some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to do it. Instead your fingers began tracing the texture of his black coat, wishing you could feel his skin underneath. Shaking away the thought, you forced your gaze to downcast to your hands.

“We can’t keep doing this…” You murmured, closing your eyes. “This is wrong. We both know it is.”

“Maybe.” His hand slid back to your chin to tip your face up to his. “But I have a feeling you’re addicted to me,” he leaned forward, his breath hot against yours “– just as much as I am to you.”

You took in a sharp breath, your eyes still shut. His lips were just in front of yours, all it would take was a slight raise of your head and they would meet. Both of you were frozen, your breaths becoming heavy as the air around you grew tense. You wanted him… He wanted you…

What was wrong with that?

Without thinking, you closed the space between you, whimpering the moment his warm lips met with yours. His grip around you tightened considerably, a hum growling in his chest as his arm wrapped around your waist and his hand grabbed the back of your neck. Your hands clung to his coat, both of you pulling the other closer until your bodies were pressed together.

You both fought for control, your lips sloppily, needily, meeting together. With a bite to your lip, you whined, allowing him to take the lead. His tongue slid against your own, his teeth and lips devouring yours. He wasn’t gentle, but you didn’t want him to be. Everything about it was passionate, heated, indulgent. You wanted more, you wanted everything he had to offer. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders, hands clenching against his back and hair.

Your mind was reeling, the entire world fading away around you. He was the only thing left in your existence, and you were the only thing in his. The way his lips moved mercilessly against yours, it was exhilarating. Everything you felt for him made sense, it all fell into place. There was no way this couldn’t be right, no way this could be wrong. The others wouldn’t understand.

How could they?

Your trance was shattered when you both heard your team calling out your name. Your lips parted from each other, swollen and flushed from kissing. Panting breaths escaped you both as your eyes stayed locked. There was so much both of you wanted to say, but you had run out of time, as you always did on your fleeting moments together. Your eyes darted to his lips, giving him one last kiss before you reluctantly began pulling away. 

“Leave with me,” he whispered, keeping you in his arms.

Your breath hitched. He asked this at the end of each of your moments together. Each time, you would easily say no, even tell him to get lost, but this time… You sighed, looking back at him as his hand cupped your cheek. His thumb grazed your bottom lip and you kissed it without thinking.

“I’ll take care of everything,” he continued, his body still pressed against yours. “You will want for nothing, and will always be at my side.”

A whimper came from your throat, your eyes sliding shut. You wanted that. Oh how you yearned for that. “Xehanort…” you breathed his name out, leaning into his touch.

“Yes…?” His lips brushed against yours, begging to kiss you again.

Another call of your name from the others made your eyes flutter open, meeting once again with his yellow ones. That knot in your gut rose up into your throat. The anxiety and dread of the others finding you together leaked its way back into your heart. You shook your head with a breathless sob, as you pushed him back.

“I-I can’t,” you looked away, refusing to meet his gaze again. You wrapped your arms around yourself, already missing his arms around you. “You know I can’t.”

He sighed, his hands lowering to his sides. His irritation faded as he looked at you, his frown tipping into the same smirk he always gave you when your paths would cross. It made your heart flutter and the knot tighten in your chest as you gazed back at him.

“Until next time,” he told you, disappearing into a Corridor.

You felt empty as he disappeared, as if your heart had gone with him. You took in a shaking breath, your lips still tingling from his. Turning around, you made your way back to the others, already devising your cover story of why you hadn’t heeded their calls. In the back of your mind, you couldn’t stop replaying that kiss through your memories over and over again. You would do anything to feel his lips against yours again.

Well… almost anything.


	2. Final Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Request Was: Gimme angst and break my heart for YMX x Fem!Reader 😂❤️ I read ur other one of him and I loveedd it

You blocked his blade with your own, skidding back from his force. Your eyes met with his golden ones, they were glowing with determination and rage, unlike anything you had seen in him before. This was it, the final showdown, and despite all the preparation, you weren’t ready.

You pushed him back, hesitating to strike. Could you really do it?

After everything?

“Y/N!” Riku called out to you, dodging a blast of magic from Ansem, “Focus!”

You shook your head, swallowing the tears and sprinted forward, slashing your blade towards Xehanort. He evaded with ease, already having memorized your moves from the dozens of times you had battled the other. All those times were never serious, always done as a struggle for control, a game… Not this time.

He warped away, to the other side of the battlefield, staring at you with that all too familiar smirk. All at once, every moment he sent you that smirk flooded back to you. That first meeting, the moment you realized you were starting to fall for him, and after he had gotten you to admit that you loved him. Your grip tightened around your weapon, your heart constricting to the point that you felt you were suffocating.

“Xehanort!” You cried out his name, not caring about the others hearing you as you pleaded, “You don’t have to do this! You have a choice!”

He scoffed, warping away and reappearing inches from you. Rather that stumbling back as he expected, you stood tall, keeping your eyes locked with his.

“You’re better than this,” you struggled to keep your voice from trembling. “Stop before it’s too late… please.”

“Still so naive, even after all this time.” He chuckled, his hand running along your face, but it lacked his usual warmth.

His tone was demeaning, mocking, and it caused your jaw to clench as you smacked away his hand. This wasn’t the man you fell in love with. He couldn’t be.

You refused to believe it.

Shaking your head, you backed up, readying your weapon. “Don’t make me do this…”

“We always knew this was how it was going to end.” He pointed out, summoning his Keyblade in a flash of Darkness.

A blast of lightning magic caused both of you to fall back, as the rest of the battle shattered your moment. You cried out as you fell hard to the ground, rolling and skidding against the rocks. Sora and Riku called out your name, but you couldn’t bring yourself to react. Emotion bit the back of your throat as the reality of what was happening settled in your heart. Biting back a cry, you pushed yourself to stand back up, stumbling as you struggled to regain your balance.

Xehanort stood on the opposite end of the battlefield, gripping his side where you noticed blood staining his coat. You averted your gaze, the sight causing your stomach to drop.

This couldn’t be real.

Riku yelled out in pain, the sound catching your attention. You darted your eyes over to see him thrown back by Ansem. Without hesitating, you sprinted over, summoning your blade just in time to block Ansem’s arm. You shoved him back, slicing across his chest as Sora rushed to Riku behind you. Xehanort’s eyes stayed glued on you as you defended Riku and Sora from both Ansem and Xemnas. There wasn’t a speck of fear in your entire being.

You summoned firaga, pushing them back, but with a simple teleport, Ansem warped right in front of you. Without having time to react, his hand gripped you by the neck and threw you away. You hissed from the burn as you hit the ground, rolling onto your back and about to get back up before you saw Xehanort standing over you, Keyblade in hand.

He held it over you, ready for it to be plunged into you. His eyes were averted from yours, focused on finishing you off, but he didn’t move. His blade shook, a growl rumbling through his chest, before it erupted with a yell. You could see the shine of glazed tears over his eyes as he raised his blade higher and thrust it down. You rolled out of the way, summoning your blade and a pearl of light that found its mark against his chest. He growled, shielding his face from the intensity.

“You were going to kill me!” You cried, emotion crippling your voice.

“What choice do I have!?” He yelled back, the slightest crack in his voice, before he caught himself and readied his Keyblade. “This is the way it has to be. It always has. It’s time to face our fears.”

Face our fears.

His words echoed through your mind, he really did have true, real feelings for you. And here you were, forced to battle to the point of no return.

You blinked back the tears blurring your vision, clasping your hand over your heart. “I love you.” You whispered, knowing he couldn’t hear you, but you had said it enough times throughout your time together, he knew what you had said.

Taking in a shaking breath, you readied your weapon, prepared for the worst. He scowled, running towards you with his Keyblade raised. They clashed with a flurry of sparks, both of you pushing against the other. You managed to shove him back, slashing your blade towards him, before ducking below his. Your eyes were only focused on him, sweeter memories passing through you with each meeting of your weapons.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

You remembered the first time you had met, how exhilarating that battle with him had been. His eyes, his smirk had stewed in your mind long after you had parted ways. The same excitement rushed back with each meeting, the intensity only growing as you fought the way your heart was helplessly falling for him. Everything was against you being together, but that only seemed to draw you to each other even more.

Your thoughts were ripped apart as a glowing, red blade pierced through your back. Blood rushed up your throat, your heart slowing as you brought your gaze from Xehanort’s widened eyes to the tip of the red blade protruding from your chest.

Sora and Riku’s voices echoed your name, but they sounded as if they were far away, their sound diminishing as you could only hear your heartbeat fading. Xemnas said something, but you couldn’t fathom what it was he was saying. He slid the red blade out of you, and you crumbled to the ground, coughing up blood as sobs wrecked through you.

Xemnas grabbed Xehanort’s arm, pulling him away from you. You could barely see him, as the corners of your vision faded. Your eyes slipped shut, becoming too heavy for you to keep open.

So this was it.

“NO!” Xehanort’s voice cracked, causing you to flutter your eyes open long enough to see him pulling away from Xemnas to run back to you.

Your heart yearned for him… to feel his touch one last time, but he was stopped by Riku and Sora standing protectively in front of you. They didn’t understand, how could they?

“I-It’s alright… Xeha—nort,” you breathed out, your words slurring together so quietly, you knew no one heard. “Go…live your life again….”

Your half lidded eyes met with his crazed ones. He yelled, charging towards Sora and Riku to get through, but they fought him back. You could hear him calling your name as your eyes slipped back shut. The only comfort you had, was knowing that he would go back to his time after he was killed. He wouldn’t have to keep going without you, he could restart his life, and you dearly wished he would. It was the final wish in your heart as it beat its last.


	3. First Time with Toys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Request Was: Could u do nsfw for YMX x Fem!Reader? About their first time together using toys? >.>

A whimper escaped between your lips as you bent forward, squeezing your legs together in attempt to lessen the intensity of the vibrator inside of you. Your body trembled, your hand clinging to the stone wall in the garden, where you were trying to sneak away from your team slumbering by the fire.

The three of you were in Thebes, aiding in the recovery, but you weren’t the only ones there. The young Master Xehanort had intercepted you, separated you from the group to give you a gift. You still remembered the way your heart jumped to your throat when you opened it to find a wearable vibrator inside. Xehanort had held up the remote with that damn smirk of his and then he was gone.

You held on to that box for days, going through anger, embarrassment, and the little tinge of curiosity every time you peeked at it. Then after a night of raunchy dreams, that you somewhat suspected was somehow Xehanort’s doing, you couldn’t help yourself and put it in that morning when you were getting ready.

Now there you were, hours later, barely making it through the day as Xehanort, somewhere nearby, even though you never caught sight of him, teased you relentlessly with the remote controller. You would be talking with a teammate about what you had just accomplished, then between your legs you’d start to throb, your muscles spasming from the sudden surge of the vibrator. It took all of your willpower not to moan, or whine, but you couldn’t stop the way your skin warmed. Both your teammates made comments, wondering if you were overworking yourself or needed a rest.

You knew you should have just taken it out, not given Xehanort the pleasure, but that one small part of you wanted to prove that you could handle it. That was, until nightfall came and your team had finally fallen asleep. Then you really had to deal with it.

Hidden a bit deeper in the garden, you leaned against the stone wall. All it took was one more pulse of the vibrator to make your knees buckle and you slid to the ground.You scanned your eyes around the garden under the soft glow of moonlight for any sign of Xehanort, but you couldn’t see a trace of him. Fireflies danced around a glistening fountain and you gazed at them in a futile attempt to distract yourself from the throbbing anticipation in your gut.

Your face burned, every inch of you shivering from a combination of pleasure and the night air. Another whimper slipped out, your eyes sliding shut as the vibrator pulsed faster than it had the entire day. Your heart pounded in your ears, your breaths shallow as your own thoughts couldn’t think outside of what you were feeling.

Ever so slowly, you slid your trembling hands up the sides of your legs. The fact that you were outside in the open was not lost on you, but you had to do something before you burst. Your fingertips ghosted your skin, trailing up your legs to your breasts. A low hum rumbled through your throat as your thumbs circled your nipples that had been in near pain from being hard all day. You had been surprised neither of the boys on your team noticed them when you had changed out of your armor into loose pajamas for the night. The soft cotton of your shirt, only heightened the sensation with each roll of your thumb, and you had to bite your lip to keep yourself from crying out.

Your hips rocked against the vibrator, pushing it deeper, begging for it to go faster. No matter what you had done throughout the day, it wouldn’t push you over the edge. You had been teetering for hours, but it would cease its vibrations the moment you felt that you might be able to force yourself into a climax.

A hand left your breast, trailing down to between your legs. You didn’t even bother to tease yourself and slid past your pants and undies, your fingers dipping into your soaked folds. A sharp gasp escaped you as your head slung back against the wall. Every little slide of your fingers shot a thrill of shivers through you, but you couldn’t help but want more.

The vibrator stopped, a whine coming from your throat until you heard that familiar low chuckle. Your eyes shot open, seeing Xehanort knelt in front of you, the remote in his hand as he smirked, watching you touch yourself.

“X-Xehanort,” you gasped out his name, the burn on your cheeks only deepening.

“Don’t stop on my account.” He told you, his eyes drifting down your body, making you throb.

That damn cockiness in his voice sparked irritation in your gut and you opened your mouth to tell him to get lost, but were cut off by his lips crashing into yours. His tongue delved into your mouth, causing a deep moan to erupt out of you.

“Don’t stop,” he murmured against your mouth, grabbing your wrist that was under your pants and pushing it down further.

Your breath hitched, your hips jerking forward into your own touch as you did as he said. It was too late to fight back, you were desperate for a release. He hummed with complete satisfaction as he pulled away from the kiss, watching you as you touched and toyed with yourself.

“X-Xeha–” you gasped out his name, shutting your eyes to avoid his golden ones boring into you.

He hummed, his hands going to your knees and spreading your legs apart. You whimpered, your pace quickening from the exhilaration and humiliation of him watching. His body pressed against yours, his lips nipping along your neck as hums and sighs escaped him, mixing with your soft moans.

“I am going to take every last inch of you the moment you come and make you mine.” he purred in your ear, his low voice causing you to whine as it rumbled through you.

“W-Why wait…?” You asked between your shallow breaths, wincing as he chuckled in your ear.

“And ruin my fun?” He asked, biting your ear and making you bite back your own cry of pleasure. “Why would I ever want to do that?”

“B-Bastard,” you stammered, melting into a moan as he switched the vibrator back on.

“Not too loud,” he warned. “Wouldn’t want the others finding you, now would we?”

He licked the crook of your neck before biting down, the jolt of pain mixed with your pleasure and your head shot back, your hips snapping forward. You clamped your hand over your mouth, unable to hold back the moan that erupted from you as Xehanort simply pulled back to watch as you climaxed.

Before you could fully come back to reality, Xehanort was behind you. He pushed you forward, situating behind you against the wall, before pulling you back into his arms. Your head lolled back against his shoulder, your body spasming and tightening as the vibrator continued at full speed. Whimpers and cries poured out of you as your hips rocked forward every few seconds, pleasure already pooling again in your gut.

Warm hands slid under your shirt, roughly running along your skin until they reached your breasts. Xehanort suckled your neck, moaning your name in your ear as he tugged and twisted your nipples between his fingers. Each sound that escaped you made him pull you closer and you could feel his cock hard against your back. Your fingers quickened once again between your legs, until he reached down and grabbed your wrist.

You stopped, opening your eyes as he brought your fingers up to his lips and pushed them into his mouth. His tongue swirled around them, a hum rumbling through him at the taste. You could only watch, your lips parted as you could only imagine his tongue doing that between your legs.

 

X-Xeha…” You whispered, your voice hoarse and trembling.

His golden eyes opened, meeting with yours. Pulling your fingers out of his mouth, you laced them into his hair and pulled him into your lips. You slid your tongue against his, tasting your sweet pleasure as he nipped at your bottom lip.

Pulling away, you fisted your hand in his hair, ordering, “Take me.”

He growled, crashing his lips back against yours as his hands hooked in your pants and tugged them down. You cried into his mouth as the vibrator was finally slipped out of you, replaced with his fingers plunging inside in its stead.

“Fuck, Xeha,” you breathed out against his lips, your back arching as he pushed his fingers in and out of your slicked entrance with ease.

Your mind was spinning, completely lost in him as his tongue danced against yours, his hands toying with your most sensitive parts. A whine slipped out as he removed his fingers from inside you. He fumbled with his pants’ buckle, but you barely noticed, your chest heaving as you leaned back into him, until he grabbed your hips and hoisted you up. You gasped, melting into a long moan when he slid his length inside of you.

His hand wrapped around your mouth, his other hand digging into your hip as he delved in and out of you. Quiet grunts and huffs of breath were all that escaped him as he buried his face in the crook of your neck. His hot breaths, seeped through you and you could have sworn your entire body was alight.

You could feel every inch of him pounding in and out of you. The sound of your bodies slicking together almost seemed to resonate around you. He was all you could fathom, all you wanted, and you couldn’t help but whimper when he kissed your neck between his soft moans of your name on his lips.

His hand slid off your mouth, down to your breast. You sighed, slinging your head back as he tugged, twisted and kneaded your nipple, the sensation pushing you towards the edge.

“You belong to me, Y/N…” He purred in your ear, just as his hips jerked forward, hissing as the dam broke.

“Ah, Xeha!” You moaned out his name, much louder than you should have as every inch of you burst with pleasure. His hand wound around your mouth, muffling your cries as he rode you back to reality.

His hips rocked languidly against you as you fell limp against him, his arms still holding you up. Both of your breaths were heavy, your chests rising and falling as you basked in the afterglow of your climax. Xehanort’s forehead rested against your shoulder, his arms wound around your waist.

“I… can’t believe I just did that…” You murmured, feeling Xehanort’s low chuckle against your skin.

He kissed your shoulder, humming. “Next time I will make sure to take you somewhere more secluded. So I can hear your voice as you moan out my name.” He groaned at the thought, suckling your skin and rolling his hips, despite not having anything left.

You whimpered softly, before remarking, “Who said there will be a next time?”

He snickered, “Won’t there?” When you didn’t reply, he hummed. “You are mine after all. There will always be a next time.”

His words sent shivers through you. Part of you wanted to deny him, but being there in his arms, after what you had just done, there was no way you could. Instead, you simply scoffed, grabbing his wrists so you could get up, but he didn’t move.

“Just a little longer.” He whispered, his voice softer than usual.

A soft smile tugged the corner of your lips as you leaned back into him, your smile growing as his arms tightened. “Alright.” You slipped your eyes shut, focusing on his warmth and touch for the fleeting remaining time you had to enjoy it. “Just a little longer.”


	4. First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer FIc to celebrate reaching our first goal on Ko-Fi! There was a poll to see which character and theme I would write for it, and YMX Smut won out!
> 
> The Request Inspiration Was: Good Guy x YMX anon back! This time, I'm requesting a NSFW ficlet of their first time together 👀 I like to imagine this take place after their first kiss, after they've started seeing each other more. Maybe he visits her in her room, things a little heated as she questions what they're doing and why, until they end up making out, and reader says 'F it' (both figuratively and literally LMAO) and decides to just roll with it

You stared up at the ceiling, laying in your bed in the Mysterious Tower with your hands laced behind your head. Moonlight poured in through the crescent shaped window, casting deep shadows from the books and trinkets you kept in your room. Thoughts of the day swirled through your mind, but they each led back to the young master… Xehanort. Weeks had passed since you had shared that first kiss with him. So heated, passionate, needy, it was burned into your mind. Every time you’ve crossed paths since, you’d find yourself pushed against the wall, his lips devouring yours. It was irritating and intoxicating all at the same time and that infuriated you to no end. 

The others had started to question you. They mentioned how you seemed distracted, how you’d disappear randomly and be flushed when you’d suddenly return with no explanation. If it wasn’t for your dedication on actual missions, you were sure they would be questioning your loyalty. And… maybe they should be. You shook your head at the thought, groaning as you brought your hands to your face.

You hated the Darkness, hated everything Xehanort stood for. There wasn’t a bone in your body that felt he was on the right side. Yet… late at night, you couldn’t think of anything other than the way his lips felt against yours. 

A familiar sound of a Corridor startled you with a gasp as you whisked your hands away from your face to see none other than Xehanort standing beside your bed. 

“X-Xeha?” You stammered with a whisper, sitting up and pulling up your blanket to conceal the loose pajamas hardly covering your body. “What do you think you’re doing here?”

He chuckled, glancing away and scanning his eyes over your room. “I needed to see you.”

“And sneaking into my room in the middle of the night is your way of doing that?” You asked, feeling the warmth creeping onto your cheeks. 

“You’re right, how ridiculous.” He looked back at you with a quirked eyebrow, motioning outside, “Let me just go to the front door and let the entire tower know I’m here to see you.”

You huffed, looking away embarrassed. “Alright fine, you didn’t have much of a choice.” You tightened your hold on your blanket when you noticed his eyes drifting over you. “Doesn’t excuse you being a creep though.”

He laughed softly, not saying anything in response as he turned away and went towards your desk, looking over the various trinkets you’d gathered from your adventures. You watched him, your unease slowly melting away as you relaxed your hold on the blanket. 

“What did you need to see me for?” You asked, keeping your voice soft.

He paused from your words, but didn’t say anything in response as he picked up a wooden statuette. His fingertips ran over the engraved details, his eyes focused.

“Where was this from?” He asked, his voice distracted.

You frowned, “Um… I think I got that in Arendelle.” When he simply nodded and placed it back on the desk, you pushed back your blanket and sat at the edge of the bed. “Xeha…” You said his name again, tilting your head to the side when he didn’t reply. “Fine,” you huffed, looking away. “If you aren’t going to say anything just--”

“I wanted to see you.” He interrupted, keeping his back to you as he picked up different treasures to distract himself.

“Is.. that your way of saying you missed me?” You asked, feeling the slightest rush from the way he tensed.

He put down a glass orb and turned towards you, a smirk just starting to tip the corner of his lips as he closed the distance. His fingers tipped up your chin as he ever so slightly bent down. “What if it is?” He asked, his voice completely masking the way he tensed from you initially calling him out.

Your lips parted to reply, but stopped short as your eyes drifted to his mouth. Swallowing, you looked back to his eyes and whispered, “You should come right out and say it.”

“Fine,” his smirk grew as he leaned in closer, his lips a scant distance from yours. “I missed you.”

Sucking in a breath, you closed the space between you and met your lips together, internally berating yourself for giving in so easily. Those thoughts were whisked away as he pushed you back onto the bed. He climbed over you, breaking your lock and kissing along your neck. You gasped, your eyes sliding shut as your heart raced.

“X-Xeha…” you stammered out his name, biting back a moan when he nipped at your neck. Suddenly the thought of the others seeing the mark hit you and your eyes shot open. “Wait, wait, stop--” You grabbed his shoulders and pushed him off of you. Sitting up, you placed your hand over where he had bitten and averted your gaze.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asked, his breath heavy as he looked you over completely confused.

“You can’t just mark me like that…” You scolded him, your face warming at the thought. “The others might see it.” You looked back to him, a spark of irritation in his eyes. “Well, I’m not wrong.”

He let out a harsh breath, climbing back onto the bed and slowly over you. Rather than pushing him away, you slowly backed up, part of you hoping he wouldn’t stop. 

“You’ll just have to cover it up.” he told you, that familiar, annoying smirk pulling at his lips. “You already cover up everything else well enough.”

You scowled, “What’s that supposed to--”

He cut you off, swallowing your voice with his mouth. You sighed, sliding your hands to his chest to push him away, but instead clung to his coat to pull him even closer. There was a battle for control, both of you nipping the others’ lips, your tongues sliding against the other as your voices melded together. Your breaths became heavy, a thick tension already forming around you by the time you broke apart for air. He barely met your gaze, before he was back on your neck, sucking on the bite he had already given you. You whined in slight protest, lacing your fingers in his hair to tug him back, but the way his tongue swept across the forming bruise was intoxicating. His arm wound around your back, pulling you closer. You could feel his heat radiating off of him, your bodies just a few inches apart. All you would need to do was barely roll your hips and they would meet. 

“A-Are you sure about this…?” You asked, your voice shaking as you fought the urge to meet your body with his.

“Why do you think I’m here?” He murmured against your skin, his low voice making you shiver. He kissed up your neck to your ear and whispered, “I want you.”

“Fuck.. “ You rasped out, your eyes meeting with his as he pulled back to look at you.

The intensity in his gaze made your entire body throb with need. 

“What about you..?” He asked, his eyes drifting between yours and your lips as he leaned in, making you lay back on the bed. You moaned softly as he kissed along your jaw. He held himself up with his hands on either side of your head, his body just over yours without making contact. “Don’t you want me, too?” He muttered, once again licking the mark along the curve of your neck.

“I-I… shouldn’t…” You barely managed to speak, your hand tightening in his hair as he nipped your collar bone. 

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest, “But, do you?”

Swallowing, you nodded, unable to bring out the words. You gasped as he ran his tongue up your throat, before kissing along your jaw and stopping short right before your lips. Fluttering your eyes open, you met your eyes with his intense gaze, leaving you breathless.

“Do you?” He asked again, as if wanting to make sure you were alright with him going forward.

The passion, the intensity, it was overwhelming, but nothing compared to those rare moments where he showed he actually cared. Part of you wondered if that was the part of him you were truly addicted to. 

Your racing heart pounded in your ears as his eyes searched your face. Everything was telling you no. There was no going back from this, no way to tell where this would lead either of you. In that moment though, you didn’t care. 

Drifting your eyes to his mouth, your hand in his hair slid down to his neck and you pulled him to your lips. He hummed against you, smirking into the kiss as his hand cupped your face. It was soft, romantic even for just a moment, before his tongue flicked roughly against your bottom lip, forcing his way in. You didn’t fight him, instead sighed as he took you over, giving him that control he so desperately wanted over you. 

Your hands slid up his arms, wrapping around his back to pull him closer and meet your bodies together. Both of you moaned into the other’s mouth when he laid down on top of you. He was so warm, you could almost feel his heart pounding against your chest as his hands began to explore. There was no thought of taking it slow, only taking every bit of you for as long as you’d allow it. You arched your back as his warm hands slid under your thin shirt. Clinging to his back, you broke the kiss, lolling your head against the bed as he went to kissing along your neck. There was an urgency in his touch, the same kind he had when you would share the rare kisses, but this time it was over your entire body.

A sharp moan slipped out of you as his thumb suddenly pressed against your nipple and you wrapped your hand around your mouth to mask the sound. The realization that you weren’t exactly in the most private place dawned on you, but not enough to make Xehanort stop what he was doing. He hummed against your neck, smirking that he was making you have to muffle your voice. It should have been taken as a warning as his other hand went to your breast, both his hands teasing and twisting your nipples between his fingers. 

You rolled your hips against him, trying anything to distract yourself from crying out his name and alerting everyone in the tower that something very wrong, but oh so right, was happening behind the closed door of your room. His shaft was already hard, throbbing from the feel of you grinding against it. He groaned from the sensation, rolling back against you before he pulled off of your neck and trailed his lips further down. 

His hands grabbed the bottom of your shirt, shoving it up to reveal your breasts. You could hear his breath hitch as he looked at you bare before him and you opened your mouth to ask him what he thought, but all words were lost as his tongue flicked out and swirled around your nipple. 

“F-Fuck, Xeha…” You gasped out, barely managing to keep your voice a whisper as you watched him.

He smirked, his eyes meeting yours as he switched breasts, tweaking your other nipple between his fingers. He was loving this and you couldn’t deny that you were enjoying it as well. You rolled your hips against him, humming at the groan he gave in response as his eyes slid shut.

Sliding your hands to his chest, you grabbed the zipper to his coat and pulled it down. He chuckled, pulling back from you to sit up on his knees. Keeping his eyes locked with yours, he unzipped his jacket and slid it off his arms, allowing it to crumble to the floor. His smirk grew as your eyes danced over his bared chest. Thin scars riddled the defined, lean muscles and you couldn’t help the way your fingers clenched in need to touch every inch of him. His hands slid up your legs as he allowed you to take him in and he pushed your knees apart. 

“What are you doing…?” You whispered, sucking in a breath when his hand swept between your legs to grab the hem of your shorts. 

“Making you mine,” he simply told you, pulling down your shorts and panties in one swift motion. 

You bit your lip, unable to keep back the excited grin as you kicked your clothes off the bed. The rush that coursed through you as he looked over your body completely exposed to him was indescribable. Every part of you throbbed for him. In all your late night fantasies, the real thing couldn’t compare the way his hands felt against you, or the way his lips sucked and nipped your skin. You kept your eyes on him, just waiting to see what he had planned for you.

Meeting his eyes back with yours, he smirked as he leaned down between your legs. You gasped, knowing what he was about to do, but nothing prepared you for when his tongue slicked across your folds. Your hands clenched the comforter and your head slung back as the sensation pulsed through you. He merely hummed as his lips and tongue devoured you.

Every flick, every kiss, made you tremble and bite back your voice as it threatened to fill the room with the sounds of your ecstasy. He made sure to go just slow enough that you could feel every little thing he was doing to you. It was unlike anything you had ever experienced and you wished it would never end. Your hand laced into his hair, pressing him further against you and he took you in without question. His fingers teased your entrance, occasionally slipping in just enough to make you breathless and jerk your hips forward. 

“X-Xeha….” You rasped out his name, biting your tongue to keep yourself from moaning louder, “F-Fuck Xeha, I-I’m gonna--”

He hummed, meeting his eyes with yours as he pulled away just enough to talk. “Come for me, Y/N.”

You whimpered, your eyes locked with his as his fingers plunged deep inside of you at the same moment his mouth met back with your already tingling folds. All it took was another push inside of you and your dam was broken. Your hand wound around your mouth, muffling the cries as your back arched and body spasmed with pure, indescribable pleasure. 

Xehanort groaned, pushing his fingers even harder and faster inside of you as he pushed you through your climax. You could feel his eyes on you, taking you in as you moaned out his name, your hand clasped tight over your mouth. As your moans lessened into whimpers, your hand slid off of your mouth, limp on the bed. Fluttering your eyes open, you met your gaze with Xehanort’s, your hips languidly rolling against his mouth as his slowed his pace until he was sure you were spent. 

He speckled kissed along your thighs as he pulled back before standing up, working on his pants’ buckle. You watched, your heart pounding and body shivering from the softer after waves of your orgasm. As he pulled down his pants, your eyes drifted down to his throbbing shaft. It was flushed red, the pearl of precum already dripping from its head from your stare and you found yourself licking your lips. 

“Fuck…” he rasped out, his hands going to your knees to go inside of you, but he couldn’t take his gaze away from the way you were eyeing him. 

Letting out a slight whine, you pushed yourself to sit up, your chest still heaving. Scooting closer, you ran your hands up Xehanort’s chest, lacing behind his neck. “Let me suck on you…” You pleaded with a whisper, lazily kissing along his jaw, feeling his length rub against your stomach.

His breath hitched as he fisted a hand in your hair, pulling you back. You moaned as he did, allowing him to lower you to his cock. There was something about allowing him to have his way with you, allowing him to force you to do whatever he wanted. You knew it wouldn’t always be like this, you’d get your turn, but you couldn’t deny that you were enjoying being his. Even if it was just for a little while.

He pushed the head of his cock past your lips, barely giving you time to acclimate to his taste. You hummed, your cheeks burning red as his salty precum covered your tongue. That familiar coil of anticipation and pleasure throbbed in your gut, already returning as you pushed him deeper into your mouth without him even having to spur you onwards.

A hiss slipped past his lips, his hand tightening in your hair, making you moan. Your hands ran up his legs, wrapped around his hips to pull him closer and even deeper. He gasped out a moan, his cock prodding the back of your throat and you only hummed, your tongue swirling around his throbbing length. 

His other hand hand down your back, his nails ever so slightly digging into your skin. You found yourself hoping you’d still have the marks of his hands on you the next day. The proof that this wasn’t all just a dream.

Pulling off with a pop, you ran your hand up and down his soaking shaft and sat back up. His half-lidded eyes met with yours as you took his bottom lip into your mouth and lightly sucked. 

“Lay down…” You whispered, noticing the slightest quirk of his eyebrow.

“W-who said you could give the orders?” He questioned, his voice shaking ever so slightly.  
You smirked, tightening your hand around his cock, making him bite back a moan. 

“I did,” you simply told him, playfully biting your lip when he smirked in return.

Without replying, he crashed your lips back together, his tongue swirling against yours before he abruptly pulled away and did as you said. He lay back on the bed, holding himself up by his elbows as he waited to see what you had in mind. You climbed on top of him, straddling him with your legs on either side of his hips. His shaft twitched right between your legs, barely brushing against your clit as you ran your hands up your body. 

The way his eyes were dancing over you. The way he had worshipped you. All of it gave you this boost of confidence you had never felt before. Suddenly you were teasing him, holding the reigns for something that he instigated. You kept your eyes on him, watching his reactions as you grabbed your own breasts and ran your fingers over your nipples. A groan rumbled through his chest, his hips jerking against yours as his fingers clenched against your knees. The sight caused a moan to come up your throat as you rubbed against his cock. 

Grabbing his hands, your slid them up your body to your breasts, allowing him to take over. He wasted no time twisting your nipples, tugging them almost painfully, but in a way that made you whine, wanting more. You lifted yourself up and wrapped your hand around his length, giving it a few languid pumps as you situated him at your entrance. Sucking in a breath, you lowered yourself on top of him, sliding him inside you. 

A shaking moan escaped you, mixing with the faint cry from Xehanort as if he had been waiting for this moment for far too long. Both of your heads slung back, everything forgotten as you could only focus on the way he felt inside of you. Your hips almost began to move on their own, sliding him in and out of you. Every inch filled you, hitting that perfect spot with each thrust. 

His hands moved to your hips, giving him leverage as he jerked his cock even deeper inside of you. A cry poured out of you, before you covered your mouth with your hand, muffling your voice as his name slipped from your lips over and over again. He took over, thrusting faster and faster as his breath shook amidst his own moans and grunts of pleasure.

It was too much, every inch of your body teetered on the edge of ecstasy and you were nearly dizzy with the sensation. As if sensing it, Xehanort, pulled out of you and pushed you onto your back. You gasped, your eyes shooting open to see him climbing on top of you.

“What are you---” 

He swallowed your voice with his lips, delving back inside of you. Both of you moaned into the other’s mouth from the sensation and he somehow went even deeper than before. His hands grabbed your hips, lifting you ever so slightly off the bed so he could thrust as deep and fast as he wanted. Your lip lock broke as he sat up, pushing in and out of you. The sound of your bodies meeting mixed with your heaving breaths, both of you struggling to stay silent as you forced yourselves closer to the edge.

You could see that he was close. Sweat gleamed on his skin, shimmering from the moonlight pouring in from the window. His half lidded eyes locked with yours, no less intense than they had been when all of this had started. Both of your lips were parted, releasing trembling breaths of anticipation.

“Xeha--” You gasped out his name, your eyes fluttering closed as your body pulsed with pleasure, heightened even further with each deep thrust of Xehanort’s hips. 

With a grunt and a snap of his hips, he was right behind you. His hands dug into your hips, your name breathless on his lips as he came. You could feel him trembling, right before he fell forward, catching himself over you. His head hung forward, his hair tickling your chest. You let out a breathless laugh, lifting your head just enough to kiss the top of his head. 

“Did that just happen…?” You asked between breaths.

A deep chuckle rumbled through him as he placed a small kiss to your collarbone. “Oh, I hope so.”

You hummed, running your tired hands up and down his back. He relaxed under your soft touch, his body resting on top of yours as he lay his head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat. Peaceful silence filled the room that had just been filled with your moans and gasps of shared pleasure and you felt your eyes sliding closed. You whined softly as he slid out of you, momentarily worrying about the mess and covering up the stains of what you had just done, but all that stress could wait. For the moment, you wanted to savor this fantasy as long as you were able.

A sudden knock to your door shattered any peace you had found together as both of you tensed and Xehanort’s head shot up. Your widened eyes met and you swallowed hard before speaking up.

“Y-Yes?” You stammered, trying to calm your racing heart.

“Oh apologies to wake you, My Dear,” Flora’s familiar voice came through the door. “I could have sworn I felt the presence of some sort of Darkness in the tower. And well, I have searched this tower top to bottom and then thought I heard some voices coming from your room. Is everything alright?”

“U-um,” your eyes stayed locked with Xehanort’s, “Y-Yes, of course! Just… had an odd dream.”

“Dear me,” Flora sighed, “Would you like to talk about it?”

Xehanort lowly growled in annoyance that she wouldn’t leave, but quieted down when you gave him a look to be quiet. 

“Thank you, but I’m alright.” You assured her, sucking in a breath as Xehanort leaned forward to kiss along your neck. “I-I’ll just try to get back to sleep.” Your eyes slid closed as his hand traced your side.

“Of course,” she called back, “You’ll need your rest for your mission to Agrabah tomorrow.”

Xehanort paused, pulling back and looking towards the door. “Agrabah..?” He whispered, as he looked back at you. 

You winced at his questioning gaze, the reality of the separate sides you were on coming back to you. “Yes… thank you,” You called to Flora. “Goodnight.”

Flora said her farewells and left, but you barely heard them as you moved to sit up, pushing Xehanort off of you.

“You should go,” you told him, keeping your gaze averted from his.

“Why, because I know where you’ll be tomorrow?” He asked, the irritation returning to his voice. 

The comforting peace between you shattered as you pulled up the blanket to cover your bare body. “You know why…” You whispered, shaking your head. “This was a bad idea, we shouldn’t have done this.”

Xehanort let out a harsh breath, before he grabbed your chin and turned your face towards his. Before you could ask what he was doing, he took your lips in his. You whined, clenching your hands as you struggled with needing to push him away, but you didn’t fight it as his other arm wrapped around your back to pull you closer. Instead, you clung to his shoulders, the slightest whimper slipping out when your lips parted. 

With his forehead leaned against yours, he whispered, “Nothing can keep us apart.” 

“Xeha…” You shook your head, pulling back to look into his eyes. “We can’t keep doing this.” You downcast your gaze when you saw the pang of hurt flash across his face. “I shouldn’t be doing this. I… I’m on the opposite side in a war and here I am sleeping with someone that I should be trying to kill.” You pulled back from him, planting your face in your hands, “Ugh, what is wrong with me?”

Warm hands slid along your arms, the touch gentle, yet firm, before grabbing your wrists and pulling them from your face. You reluctantly looked up at him, for once seeing a genuine gaze in his golden eyes that made your heart skip.

“Come with me,” he offered, his voice soft. “Don’t keep fighting this pointless war. You know how it’s going to end.”

Your eyes narrowed, “How is it going to end?”

He frowned, reciting words that made you freeze, “On that land shall Darkness prevail and Light expire.”

You tensed from his words, “Where did you hear that?”  
“It doesn’t matter,” he shook his head. “What does matter is that you are on the wrong side. Your fighting is pointless. If you join me--”

“I’m not going to join people that are trying to recreate some ancient war!” You interjected with a harsh whisper, letting out a breath and looking away. 

His jaw clenched, his hands tightening along your wrists. A tense silence rose between you as the few seconds of silent thought turned into a few minutes. Neither of you moved, both of you brooding and trying to make sense of what you were feeling. You looked back to him, seeing his gaze directed towards the night sky through your window. His eyes were conflicted, something you rarely saw in him. Maybe you weren’t the only one struggling with this. You didn’t know why you were so drawn to him, all you knew was that you couldn’t keep yourself away, no matter how much you disagreed. 

Despite everything, all the things you knew were still unresolved, you leaned forward, kissing his cheek. His grip on your wrists loosened as you pulled away, but he didn’t look away from the stars. Leaning your head against his chest, you let out a long breath.

“Look at us…” You whispered, letting out a bitter laugh, “Arguing about morals and sides when we’re completely naked… right after sleeping together…” You shook your head, your bitter laugh turning genuine as Xehanort broke into laughter as well.

His hands left your wrists as his arms wrapped around you, pulling you into his lap. You gasped, yelping softly from the sudden movement, melting into giggles at the look of amusement he gave you in response. He captured your voice with his lips, both of you smiling into the kiss. 

“I should know by now, you never pass up the chance to argue.” He jabbed, grinning at the your scowl.

“I’m just… realistic,” you defended, swallowing as he hummed against your ear, before trailing his lips along your neck. You sucked in a breath when his tongue ran along the bruise he had marked you with when he had first arrived. “I can’t believe I let you do that…” You mentioned, your voice distant and distracted.

He hummed again, kissing the mark before pulling back with a smirk. “How else are you supposed to know that you’re mine?”

“I think I’d manage,” you smiled, smacking his chest. “And I’m not yours. I don’t belong to anyone.”

“Bold words coming from someone that was just crying out my name an hour ago.” He teased, quirking up an eyebrow as his smirk grew.

“Shut up,” you looked away, your cheeks burning as he snickered. Taking in a breath, you looked towards the stars, the jovial, playful mood leaving you. “Xeha…”

“Hmm?”  
“There’s… no way this is going to end well…” You muttered, leaning your head against his chest, your heart twisting. “With us… with everything going on… there’s no way…”

He didn’t reply right away, his hands drifting up and down your back as he thought over your words. “Nothing can keep us apart…” He finally murmured, kissing the top of your head. 

You swallowed hard, shutting your eyes and listening to his heart pounding in his chest as you tried desperately to believe his words. “I hope you’re right…”


	5. What If?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spin off from the Angst Chapter (What if YMX switched sides? How would the others react?)

You blocked his blade with your own, skidding back from his force. Your eyes met with his golden ones, they were glowing with determination and rage, unlike anything you had seen in him before. This was it, the final showdown, and despite all the preparation, you weren’t ready.

You pushed him back, hesitating to strike. Could you really do it?

After everything?

“Y/N!” Riku called out to you, dodging a blast of magic from Ansem, “Focus!”

You shook your head, swallowing the tears and sprinted forward, slashing your blade towards Xehanort. He evaded with ease, already having memorized your moves from the dozens of times you had battled the other. All those times were never serious, always done as a struggle for control, a game… Not this time.

He warped away, to the other side of the battlefield, staring at you with that all too familiar smirk. All at once, every moment he sent you that smirk flooded back to you. That first meeting, the moment you realized you were starting to fall for him, and after he had gotten you to admit that you loved him. Your grip tightened around your weapon, your heart constricting to the point that you felt you were suffocating.

“Xehanort!” You cried out his name, not caring about the others hearing you as you pleaded, “You don’t have to do this! You have a choice!”

He scoffed, warping away and reappearing inches from you. Rather that stumbling back as he expected, you stood tall, keeping your eyes locked with his.

“You’re better than this,” you struggled to keep your voice from trembling. “Stop before it’s too late… please.”

“We always knew this was how it was going to end.” He pointed out, the slightest hint of remorse in his tone that made your heart skip, even as he summoned his blade.

“You never believed that.” You swallowed the cry in your throat, desperate to get through to him. “All those nights in your arms–”

“None of that matters anymore!” He cut you off, his hand clenching into a fist. You could see in his eyes, he didn’t believe his own words… they weren’t his.

Dissipating your blade, you stepped forward, grabbing his coat and pulling him to your lips. His breath hitched, but he didn’t fight or push you back. The battle around you seemed to fade away as you broke the kiss and looked in his eyes, both of your chests heaving.

“Nothing can keep us apart…” You whispered the same words he had said to you on all those nights you shared your doubts and fears.

“Y/N…” He muttered, his voice drenched with emotion as his eyes danced over your face.

He was trying to push you away and after your last night together, you should have expected it. Xemnas had discovered your connection, and when you had been trying to convince Xehanort to leave with you before the final battle, Xemnas had appeared with Master Xehanort in tow. You had barely managed to escape, but you could hear the words Xehanort gave them as he tried to convince them that you meant nothing to him.

It couldn’t be true.

“Xeha–”

His eyes darted away and widened as he grabbed your arms and forced you behind him. You gasped, being pushed back by his body as he blocked a blast of Dark Firaga.

“Get away from her, Boy!” Ansem’s voice boomed, sending another shot of Darkness.

Xehanort readied his blade, but you jumped out in front and blocked the attack, sending it spiralling back to Ansem. You glanced over your shoulder, sending the slightest smirk to Xehanort as his eyes widened with surprise.

“Foolish girl,” Xemnas’ low voice caught your attention from the side as he side stepped an attack from Sora with ease.

He walked towards you, holding out his blades of pure red energy and you readied your position, unafraid to face either of them.

“Stay away from her!” Xehanort yelled, holding out his blade protectively beside you. “Focus on the others.”

Ansem laughed, summoning up a shimmering, translucent wall to separate Riku, Sora, and Mickey from you. “I do not take my orders from you.”

“Nor do I,” Xemnas agreed, approaching from the other side.

You and Xehanort went back to back, both of you facing the other adversary as Riku and Sora called out to you from the other side of the barrier. There was confusion and fear mixed in their eyes and you couldn’t blame them for it. You hadn’t told them anything, prepared them for what might happen… They couldn’t help you now.

“You don’t have to do this.” You offered to Xemnas, feeling Xehanort tense behind you.

Xemnas stopped, his lips tipping into a smirk. “Unlike the young master, your words will not work on me.”

“Had to try,” Xehanort noted, making you smile despite the dread settling in your gut.

“Enough of this!” Ansem yelled, summoning his dark guardian.

He sprang forward without giving anyone chance to respond. Xehanort blocked him with ease, pushing him back and firing a barrage of dark fire as you spun away from Xemnas’ strike. You were separated from Xehanort within seconds, using every spell and attack you could muster to hold your own against Xemnas.

The others called out to you, desperately hitting the barrier to break through, but to no avail. They could only watch as you struggled to push Xemnas back, ducking under a swing of his blade. You could feel the heat radiating off of it with each swing, the thought of it piercing you caused a rush of adrenaline to make sure that didn’t happen.

Lifting your blade, you summoned a blast of lightning, striking both Ansem and Xemnas with its power. Ansem growled as the electricity coursed through him, stumbling forward along with Xemnas. You rushed over to Xehanort’s side, grabbing his hand and giving it a quick squeeze as you readied for your next attack.

“Are you on my side now?” You asked him.

“Not a chance.” He breathlessly laughed, before getting serious, “But I’m not letting them anywhere near you…”

You glanced over at him, seeing the determination and anger in his eyes as he looked between Xemnas and Ansem. “…I love you.” You whispered.

He darted his eyes to you, the scowl on his lips softening for a moment before he focused back on your adversaries. “I think I can break the barrier…” He told you. “The second it’s down, you run.”

“I don’t think so.” You looked to him. “Not without you.”

“This isn’t a discussion.” He looked back at you, just before he grabbed your waist and spun you out of the way of Xemnas’ vines.

Before you could reply, he was blocking another attack from Ansem’s Guardian, getting back into the battle. You focused your attention to Xemnas, shooting a Pearl of Light towards his chest, which he tossed aside with ease. A blinding flash of light startled you, and you saw the barrier around you shattering from a blast of powerful magic. Xehanort crumbled, barely catching himself as he fell forward. Without even noticing as your friends ran to your aid, you rushed to Xehanort’s side, skidding to your knees beside him.

“R-Run, I t-told you to–” his voice shook.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.” You cut him off, scrambling to pull out a potion.

“Y/N!” Sora’s voice made you look up, seeing him running over with Riku. They turned and stood protectively in front of you, Keyblades at the ready to hold off the others.

“You better have a good explanation once we get out of this.” Riku noted, glancing over his shoulder at you.

Swallowing hard, you nodded, “I will.”

Finding a potion, you held it up, about to release it over Xehanort, until you felt a strong force on the back of your neck. You sucked in a sharp breath as you were forced back onto your feet. As you stood, the pressure covered your neck entirely, making it difficult to breathe.

“Get away from her!” Xehanort growled at someone behind you, but you couldn’t move to see who it could have been.

Sora turned around, eyes widening before turning into a scowl, “Let her go, Xehanort!”

You blinked, your breath shortening as you struggled to take in any air. It had to be…

“I suspected there was something amiss.” Master Xehanort’s raspy voice behind you made your heart jump to your throat.

Your eyes darted to Xehanort’s glaring gold ones as he scowled at the older version of himself. “Leave her–” he pushed himself to stand, stumbling forward, “Leave her out of this. If you want to punish someone, it’s me.”

“X-Xeha…” You choked out his name, tears spilling down your cheeks as you were lifted off the ground entirely, the air becoming even thinner.

“You have traversed through time, collecting everything we have needed for this day,” Master Xehanort continued, ignoring your faint pleas for air. “And yet, you have allowed your heart to be swayed by this naive child.”

“She’s not a child!” Sora stepped to young Xehanort’s side, his hand over his chest. “Just because you were once the same person, doesn’t mean that Xehanort can’t have his own heart. He has his own thoughts and emotions that you’ll never understand.” Readying his Keyblade, he added,”You can’t control him!”

Young Xehanort glanced over at Sora, his frown deepening at the nod of affirmation from Sora. Shaking his head, he summoned his own blade, making Master Xehanort chuckle. Their voices mixed in your head, the corners of your vision blurring as the pressure around your throat tightened. The last thing you remembered was Xehanort yelling your name as you fell unconscious.

A warmth surrounded you as you slowly came back to reality. Something plush and soft was beneath you and you could hear the soft murmurs of voices around you. A throbbing pain shot through your head, making you wince, before you sucked in a breath, suddenly realizing you could breathe again. You shot up, your vision spinning and head pulsing as you took in heaving breaths. Your hands went to your face, keeping away the light that had bombarded you the moment you opened your eyes.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright.” Xehanort’s voice spoke calmly, making your heart jump with each word. His hands went to your arms, grabbing your wrists and gently pulling them away from your face.

Your eyelids fluttered, struggling to see clearly as everything was still a blur. It was silent around you, almost too quiet. The whistle of the wind, the clash of blades against the other, all of it had ceased.

“X-Xeha…?” You rasped out his name, your voice hoarse.

“It’s me,” he laughed softly, his hands going to your face as he pressed his lips to your forehead. “I thought I lost you…” He muttered against your skin.

Your surroundings slowly began to clear, and you found yourself in a small room that you recognized as the private quarters in the Radiant Garden castle. Paintings of the garden outside hung delicately along the dulled, green walls, welcoming you back to reality as your memories pieced back together. Your hands went to Xehanort’s shoulders, pushing him back so you could see his face. A genuine, soft smile was on his lips as your eyes danced over him.

“W-What… happened..?” You asked, trying to swallow, but wincing at the painful throb in your throat.

“You passed out,” he told you, his smile falling as his eyes downcasted to your neck. “I thought… He had killed you and–” a bitter laugh slipped out, “I-uh, went crazy…”

“What do you mean…?” You asked, coughing at the end until he grabbed a glass of water from your bedside table and offered it to you.

“I tried to kill him.”

You coughed, choking on your water, “Y-You what?” Your voice cracked.

He cleared his throat, looking away. “There was no way they would have let me back after everything that happened. And without you… nothing mattered anymore.” Taking in a breath, he met his eyes back with yours. “So I wanted to go out fighting, maybe take him out with me.”

“But… we’re both here.” You whispered, reaching down and interlacing your fingers with his. “We made it out.”

He scoffed, “You can thank your Heroes of Light for that.”

“They saved you?”

“They saved both of us…” His eyes drifted away in memory. “Sora… didn’t even hesitate to trust me.” With a sigh, he added, “He’s such a fool.”

Despite the scratching pain in your throat, you couldn’t help but chuckle, making Xehanort look up at you. “A fool that saved your life.”

He hummed with a soft smile. “I suppose you’re right.”

You matched his expression, drifting your gaze to your clasped hands.“I can’t believe you’re here… safe, with me…” Lifting his hand to your lips, you planted a kiss along his knuckles, letting out a long breath. “I thought it was the end for us, too.”

He pulled back his hand, causing your eyes to dart to his, before he leaned forward and met your lips together. You whimpered ever so softly, your hand going to his cheek and pulling him closer.

“I love you…” He whispered the moment your lock broke, so soft and quiet that you barely heard him.

The sob that had been stuck in your throat since the battle had begun came out, mixing with a breathless laugh as a grin split your lips. “I love you, too, Xeha.”

He met your smile with one of his own, both of you laughing softly with the other as you met your lips back together. In the end, nothing ever could keep you apart.

…..

…..

Bonus:

Xehanort’s heart dropped along with you as your body crumbled to the ground. His body tightened, time freezing as everything he had grown to love faded before him. With a yell, he glared back at his older self, his supposed Master, and lunged towards him.

“Xehanort, wait!” Sora called out, but Xehanort hardly heard him through his blind rage.

The old master easily evaded his younger self’s attacks. That same smirk on his aged face as he summoned the same blade Xehanort attacked him with and blocked an attack.

“What do you hope to accomplish?” He asked, his voice only making his younger self yell as he put all of his strength into his blade to push the old man back.

A Pearl of Light blinded them as it sprung into the air and impacted the old master’s side. He stumbled back, giving Sora just enough time to run to Xehanort’s side.

“Grab Y/N and get as far away from here as you can!” Sora ordered Xehanort, readying his Keyblade. “We’ll handle this.”

Xehanort shook his head, angry tears glazed over his golden eyes. “I’m not going anywhere, until that bastard pays for what he did.” He growled, about to run forward to attack once again, before his arm was grabbed. Spinning around, he slashed his blade, hitting Riku’s blade as he glared back at him.

“You stay and she’ll die.” Riku pointed out, pushing him back. “I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but right now you’re the only one that can get her someplace safe.”

Xehanort paused, his death grip on his Keyblade lightening as he glanced back at you, noticing the slightest rise and fall of your chest as you took in a breath.

You were alive.

He stepped back, dissipating his Keyblade as he looked between the Heroes of Light he had been fighting against for most of his life. They had already defeated Ansem and Xemnas, and now here they were protecting him so he could save your life. Everything was a blur in his mind, his heart a mixture of conflicted emotions and thoughts that he had never felt before. Riku glanced back at him as Sora confronted the Old Master.

Taking in a shaking breath, Xehanort sent Riku a nod, before he turned around and ran to you. He pulled you into his arms, taking just a moment to hold you close, feeling your faint heartbeat so he could prove to himself that you weren’t gone. Nothing else mattered anymore, as long as you were protected.


	6. What Am I To You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When was the moment Fem!Reader realizes she's falling for the young master.

You hadn’t been sure what to expect when you received a solo mission to Wonderland to check on one of the original Princesses of Heart, Alice. It was a world you had never been to before, but you had heard countless wacky tales about its oddities from Sora and Riku. Despite them, nothing could have prepared you for the breathtaking view when you arrived.

It was gorgeous, to say the least, and you hadn’t heard a single mention of the forest of gigantic, cascading flowers from the others during their past visits to the world. You looked up at the flowers towering above your head as you walked. The sun peered through the thin petals, casting colored beams of light over you as if you were under an intricate stained glass.

You ran your hands along the thick stems as you walked, admiring the stunning view. Everything around you was tranquil, still, unlike all the stories of chaos you had been told and you wondered briefly if you were even on the same world.

“You won’t have much luck finding a Princess at that size.” A familiar voice from behind caused you to tense.

You abruptly stopped walking, glancing over your shoulder to see none other than the young Master Xehanort, his arms crossed as he watched you with that damn cocky smirk on his lips. Your heart fluttered in your chest, making your hands clench at your side in frustration as you snapped, “What do you want?”

“Same as you.” He told you nonchalantly, disappearing and reappearing just a couple feet in front of you. His smirk grew along with your scowl. “Although, I have to say your method is pretty inefficient.”

Staring back at him unamused, you arched up an eyebrow, before letting out a long sigh. “And rather than go and do your job, you decided to come tell me that?” You scoffed, going forward to walk past him. “That’s almost kind of you.”

He hummed, looking over his shoulder at you as you passed. “Or maybe I’d just rather level the playing field.”

“OR maybe you just enjoy being a pain in my ass.” You grumbled under your breath, hating the way your chest tightened at his responding laugh.

The young master had his way of getting on your nerves. It wasn’t anything he said, per se, he wasn’t any different in his tactics than the other Members in the Organization or from the dozens of adversaries you had faced. The thing that annoyed you was how he made you react.

“Perhaps,” he agreed with the breathy laugh still in his voice. “I’m not wrong though. You won’t find anything staying a few inches tall.”

You stopped, “A few… inches…?”

Your eyes drifted to the ground, noticing how large every rock and even the specs of dirt appeared around you. As you looked back to the flowers, you began to realize why they seemed so tall.

“Ah, shit…” You whispered, tensing further at Xehanort’s snicker. “Are you done?” You shot back at him over your shoulder with a glare, but his smile caused your breath to catch.

Clearing your throat, you averted your eyes and opened your mouth to say more, but a rumble of thunder in the sky cut you short. Both of you looked up to the thin petals, barely able to see the dark clouds swirling in the sky. You let out a huff of breath, glancing back to Xehanort, but he had vanished.

You blinked, scanning around for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The unmistakable sense of disappointment settled in your gut as you turned back forward to continue your journey. Even if you were only a few inches tall, there had to be a way to change your size or a way to still find what you were there for.

Occasional thunder rolled through the sky as you walked and you began running your hands along your arms from the chilling wind. You hadn’t heard anything about storms in Wonderland, but you supposed that Riku and Sora couldn’t account for the weather on every world. The flowers themselves rustled from the wind, and you could swear you heard the occasional whisper, as if they were the ones speaking. You wrapped your arms tighter around yourself as you slowed to a stop, uneasiness inching its way inside of you.

“I should go…” You muttered to yourself, backing up and about to turn to make the long trek back to your ship.

Before you could fully turn around, the sound of rushing water made you freeze. You darted your eyes around, until they settled on a wall of water coming right towards you. Turning on your heel, you sprinted in the opposite direction, your breath short and heart pounding. A single raindrop whistled through the sky, pounding into the ground right in front of you and sending rocks and dirt flying into the air. You yelped, summoning up a shield of light to protect yourself from the barrage, but it did little to help as raindrops began falling all around you.

You darted in every direction, barely missing the raindrops as it began to pour, The ground beneath you melted into mud, causing your feet to stick and slip with every step. Catching on a loose rock, you stumbled forward into a flower stem. You wrapped your arms around it, clinging to it as the water rose around you.

A Corridor of Darkness sprouted in front of you, making you scramble back as Xehanort stepped out of it.

“What are you–” you began to ask, before he grabbed your arm and pulled you close, another Corridor surrounding you.

As the black smoke disappeared, you found yourself at the entrance to a towering cave, the sound of the rain outside resonating off the rocky walls. Your heart pounded in your ears as you struggled to take in a full breath, but you could also feel the racing heart beat of Xehanort as he held you close to his chest. You froze, tensing as you realized who was holding you.

Neither of you moved at first. Your breaths echoing along with the thundering storm outside. His grip on your wrist was tight, but not uncomfortable, and if you leaned your head forward just a few inches, you’d feel the warmth of his chest that was already radiating into you. If you weren’t concerned with who it was, you would have admitted that you wanted more. You brought your eyes up to his, seeing his golden eyes staring back at you.

For a moment, your breath hitched as your chest tightened. His eyes seemed to almost glow against the darkness of the cave and you could feel the slightest shake in his breath against you.

Was he as entranced as you were?

That thought snapped you out of it. Stepping back, you ripped your arm from his grasp and summoned your Keyblade with one motion. Your blade was blocked almost immediately by his own, both of you pushing against the other as you scowled.

“What’s wrong with you?” You demanded, shoving him back.

His eyebrow quirked up as he strafed around you, making you watch him carefully for his next move. “That isn’t usually how you tell someone thank you.”

“Well excuse me if I’m not used to a villain saving my life.”

He stopped for a moment, unable to keep back his smirk as he repeated, “Villain?”

Without warning, he sprung forward, making you spin away as you blocked his blow over your head. Both of you stared back at the other, the thrill of the fight to come rushing through you.

“Is that what I am to you?” He asked, barely inches from you, “A villain?”

You scoffed, “You aren’t anything to me.”

Pushing him back, you slashed towards him. He easily side stepped out of range, his footwork exact and borderline admirable, but that didn’t stop you from pursuing. You could feel the tug of your lips curving into a smirk as he easily counteracted your attacks and returned his own. The two of you had only fought a handful of times, but you had memorized each others patterns. Neither of your hits met their mark, the battle turned akin to a dance, rather than a fight for control. That was until Xehanort shoved you against the cave wall. One hand grabbed your wrist, pinning it above your head along with your blade. The other put his Keyblade to your throat, but with hardly any pressure behind it as both of you stared into the others eyes, chests heaving.

Despite knowing that you could finagle your way out of his hold, you remained frozen, your heart pounding and lodging itself in your throat from the way he looked at you. “W-What…?” You breathed out, your voice barely audible over the pouring rain outside the cave.

He leaned forward, his breaths hot against you as he murmured, “I’m more to you than you think.”

Your breath caught, until you averted your eyes with a scowl. “Shut up… I’m no one to you, too. Just another Hero of Light you’re supposed to dispose of, right?”

“Hardly,” he chuckled softly, making you shiver as your eyes slipped shut.

This wasn’t right. This was far from what was supposed to be happening.

“Let go of me…” You ordered him, but the authority was lost in your voice.

“Or else what?” He asked, his smirk growing at the way you swallowed in response. He leaned in closer, his voice beside your ear. “If I’m really a villain, why should I just let you go?”

You bit back the whimper that trembled in your throat, the voice of reason inside of you lessening with every second his breath brushed against your skin.

“W-Why are you doing this…?” You barely managed the words.

He hummed, “Maybe I enjoy toying with you. Withering away that strong will of yours.”

Your eyes snapped open, seeing his teasing smirk as he pulled back his head just enough to see the warmth creeping up your cheeks. Rather than the anger you were used to sparking at his goading remarks, you throbbed, turning redder by the second.

“Get lost…” You murmured, looking away.

With a chuckle, he leaned forward, his lips barely grazing your jaw to leave a fleeting kiss. The whimper in your throat slipped out from the pulse of shivers that shot through you, making him hum. He pulled away, releasing your arm and making his Keyblade disappear. You slowly lowered your arm back down to your side, your blade still in your grasp as you watched him reach into his coat pocket.

He pulled out a circular cookie and grabbed your free hand, placing it in your palm. “Eat this.” He simply told you.

You drifted your eyes to the admittedly, delicious looking cookie. It was round, delicately decorated with white icing and swirling red hearts. “What is this for?” You asked, looking back up, only to find him gone. Your heart sunk, your jawline still tingling from his lips as your eyes desperately scanned the dark cave for him. “Xeha–” You began to say his name but stopped short.

He was supposed to be your enemy… why were you calling out for him?

You looked back down to the cookie, letting out a breath as you traced the hearts in the icing and finding yourself yearning for Xehanort to still be there beside you.

Perhaps searching for Alice together, making snide comments to the other in order to get each other to have a genuine smile or laugh. You chuckled softly at the thought, recalling the smile you had spotted on his lips back in the forest of flowers. Your voice melded into a hum as you lifted your fingers to your jaw where his lips had met, wondering if you’d ever get to feel it again.

All at once your eyes widened and heart skipped, realization rushing through you. These thoughts, these emotions…

…Fuck.


	7. Remember Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request was: Hheeyyyyy I REALLY love your ymx x reader fics like it's so hard to find good fics of him like my god. But anyway there was this ymx x reader angst fic were reader dies so maybe a prologue to that where after sora and riku defeat ymx and he goes back to he's old life and he meets he's dead s/o there (k sorry if this sucks it's my first time requesting)

A salty-tinged air filled your lungs, the sound of waves crashing against the shore mixing with the calls of gulls filling your ears. You fluttered your eyes open, your hand going to your throbbing head as you sat up. Everything was blurry, hues of blues, greens, and tans all conforming together as you tried to recall what had just happened.

There was a fight… no, a battle… the one you had been dreading for months. Keyblades, magic spells… blood. As if on command, the metallic taste of blood filled your mouth, making you gag, but nothing came out. You leaned forward, your hands sinking into the soft, grainy ground.

What was this place?

Your vision was beginning to clear. The individual rocks and tiny shells beneath you came into view…Sand. Blinking, you looked up, seeing a seemingly endless body of water before you, shimmering and reflecting the light of the sun. Waves from the water crashed against the sandy shore, each one calming your confused, tightened heart as your memories pieced back together.

Light, Darkness… Keyblades… Xeha—

Your eyes widened, tears welling up in them as you darted your gaze around.

Where was he?

“X-Xeha–” you tried to cry out, but your voice was coarse, broken, as if you hadn’t spoken in years.

You grabbed your throat, coughing and feeling a dull pain in your chest. Your hand went to your chest, wincing at the calloused scar that was sore to the touch. Everything began coming back to you. The final battle, in that desolate Keyblade Graveyard. Despite all the fighting, everything going on, all you cared about was Xehanort…. You couldn’t stand the thought of having to fight him, but you were forced to… That was… until Xemnas had intervened.

Your heart twisted even further, a sob coming up your throat as all the memories came rushing back. The red blade piercing through your chest, the fear and dread filling Xehanort’s eyes as his skin paled, watching you crumble to the ground….

He didn’t even get to say goodbye…

Tears poured down your cheeks, the event replaying in your mind over and over again in excruciating detail, as if your thoughts were trying to make sense of them. Trying to accept them. You remembered the final breath, the way your life faded away and how empty and lonely it had felt. That was the end… You had died.

But then… how were you here?

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you took in deep breaths, closing your eyes until your body stopped trembling. You could wallow in the memories later, right now you needed to focus on where you were. Letting out a sigh, you opened your eyes and wiped away your tears. You were on a beach, an island of sorts.. Something about it seemed familiar, but you were sure you had never seen such a place before.

You pushed yourself to stand, your balance wavering as your legs wobbled under your weight, but you stumbled into the trunk of a palm tree, clinging to it until your legs regained their strength. The beach was tranquil, providing the perfect ambiance to calm you as you scanned the area.

Why did this place seem so familiar?

Lush jungle made up the center of the small island, where wooden tree houses and sparkling waterfalls speckled the brush. It was a gorgeous sight. Further over to the right was a bridge that let to an islet, where there stood a unique tree, one that you’d never seen before. Its trunk was curved, perfectly aligned for anyone to sit along it and reach the yellow, star-shaped fruits hanging from its thick leaves. You blinked, you’d heard about such a fruit before. Sora and Riku had mentioned it about their island, but they weren’t the ones that came to mind… the one that came to mind was…

Xehanort.

Your heart skipped as you made your way to the islet. You climbed up the bridge and stumbled across it to the curved tree. The bark was surprisingly smooth to your touch as you ran your hand along it. As you reached the fruit, you grabbed one off a branch and held it in front of you. It was bumpy, but held a sweet almost intoxicating scent that made your mouth water. You weren’t sure the last time you had even had food, or even if you needed it anymore…

Were you even still alive?

You shook the thought away, lifting the star shaped fruit to your nose and taking a whiff of its sweet, somehow familiar scent.

“There’s this fruit back on my homeworld, one that was said to intertwine your destiny with another when it’s shared.”

Xehanort’s voice rang clear in your heart, each word causing your heart to skip higher and higher in your chest. He had told you about it… This was his world… The world he grew up on. You swallowed the emotion rising again in your throat as you looked around, as if hoping you’d see him walking along the shore. Letting out a shaky breath, you glanced back at the fruit, running your thumb along its texture. Its sweet scent teased your senses, bringing back all the fleeting moments you and Xehanort had shared as you had fallen in love with him. He talked about sharing this fruit with you, but neither of you ever had… He said it was a childish notion, but as you stood there, staring at it in your grasp, you weren’t so sure anymore.

Deep down, you knew that you wanted to have your destiny intertwined with his. After everything the two of you had been through together, after everything that tried to tear you apart, sharing a fruit to ensure you’d stick together didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

It was too late now…

You pulled yourself up onto the trunk of the tree, keeping the fruit in your grasp as you stared out at the ocean horizon. Nothing was making sense… You had died, and then somehow had reawakened on a strange island that just happened to be your lover’s homeworld… You supposed that deep down, you should have been grateful for the second chance at life… if that’s what this was.

But what was it without him?

The thought seemed desperate, pathetic even. You could just imagine the scorn you’d get from anyone else if they knew you couldn’t stand the thought of living without Xehanort in your life. A year ago, you would have scoffed at yourself about it, but now?

You’d do anything to be in his arms again… just one last time…

The tears welled up in your eyes again as you hugged the star shaped fruit tight against your chest and cried silently all alone. Hours passed and you didn’t move as the sun began to set. You felt hollow, confused, but at least exhaustion was taking over you; so there was hope for some sleep. Perhaps this was all a dream, or a purgatory before actual death. Either way, you leaned back against the trunk of the tree, keeping the fruit close to your chest as you allowed exhaustion to drift you to sleep.

“Hey, I think she’s waking up!” A young man’s voice broke through your dreamless slumber, “She doesn’t seem like she’s from around here.” There was no response and you could hear the shuffle of feet along the sand before the voice spoke again, “…Xeha?”

Your eyes opened, a gasp escaping you as you shot up, startling the raven-hair man. He seemed about your age, his dark blue eyes widened as he stumbled back in surprise. You barely acknowledged him, even though deep down you recognized him from pictures Xehanort had shown you, but instead you darted your eyes around, your heart stopping when you saw him.

Xehanort stood near the bridge, his gray eyes staring back at you with uncertainty. You grinned, sliding off the tree and about to run towards him, but you noticed him step back, his guard up.

You froze, blinking. “Xeha…” You swallowed, trying to calm your trembling voice as you placed your hand over your heart. “Xeha, it’s me, Y/N.”

His eyes narrowed, his lips curving into a deeper frown.

“Woah, you know her?” HIs friend came up from the other side of you, joining Xehanort’s side. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I…” He began, his mouth closing as he averted his gaze. “I don’t recognize her.”

Your heart dropped along with the star shaped fruit falling to the sand at your feet.

“You… don’t…?” You asked, your eyes downcasting.

“No, I’m sorry.” He apologized, his voice softer and almost kinder than the Xehanort you were used to. “You do feel familiar, though…”

“From a past life,” you muttered under your breath, beginning to understand exactly where you were.

“From what?” His friend asked, making you shake your head.

“I don’t even know where to begin to explain…” You told him, clearing your throat when your voice wavered. Taking in a breath, you strained a smile. “I guess all that matters is that you’re alive and… I am, too… somehow.”

Xehanort’s friend smiled in return, albeit awkwardly and completely confused by what was happening, while Xehanort kept his gaze averted from yours. He looked so young, even though it was only months before you had met him in his lifetime. You weren’t sure how his eyes had changed color, or what exactly had happened between him and his friend… There was still so much you had never learned about him. Letting out a breath, your hands clenched at your sides as you walked past them, your arm brushing against Xehanort’s as you passed.

“Y/N…” Xehanort’s voice made you stop in your tracks as your heart jumped, but you didn’t look back. When you didn’t reply, he asked. “Who are you?”

You wanted to pour it out to him, to make him remember everything and to remember how much you meant to the other… but… maybe it was better that he didn’t know. That he could live his life without becoming part of the Keyblade War… without, you…

Swallowing hard, you shook your head. “It doesn’t matter… Just keep forgetting about me.”

Without waiting for his reply, you continued walking, unsure where you were going as you walked along the wooden treehouses in the brush. You reached a particular fence that overlooked the ocean, hidden behind branches and leaves to give you a cool shade and breeze to think everything over.

You leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor to sit and bringing your knees to your chest. Nothing was making sense. How could you have come back in time with him? You knew that when he died, he was supposed to go back to his world, back to before the War ever happened… If he was here though… he must have been killed in battle.

The thought formed a thick lump in your throat as you leaned your head back against the wall to stare up at the leaves and branches above. Part of you was still convinced that all of this was a dream. If it were, you would have grabbed Xehanort by his coat and kissed him, forcing him to remember you. The thought caused the corner of your lips to curve into a smile. You know that if your roles had been reversed, that would be exactly what Xehanort would have done.

Your thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. You looked over, your heart skipping as you saw Xehanort standing at the entrance to your little treehouse hideout.

Neither of you said anything at first, even though both of you obviously had things on your mind. Xehanort’s eyes studied you, as if he were trying to recall a distant memory, something on the tip of his tongue. You, on the other hand, kept your gaze averted as much as possible. The more you looked at him, the more you wanted to beg him to remember.

He stepped in further, his mouth opening and closing, before he let out a heavy sigh. “I know that you were, or are, someone important… to me.” He added at the end, letting out a huff of breath as he rubbed the back of his head. “But I don’t know how.”

You shook your head, having a mental war inside yourself about whether or not to spill everything out to him.

“You know something I don’t.” He continued, stepping forward, watching as you shifted uncomfortably in your seat against the wall. “Tell me what you know.”

“I—” your voice cracked, trailing off. “I shouldn’t…”

“Why?” He asked, making your hands clench that he was pushing the subject. He never did know when to stop.

“Because…” You let out a breath, blurting out, “I’m scared of what will happen to you if I do, alright?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, kneeling down in front of you, his hand inches away from you. “What do you think would happen to me?”

“Xeha,” you shook your head, finally meeting your eyes with his. 

Your breath caught, he really did look beautiful with silver eyes.

“We’re obviously close,” his brow quirked up, his lips curving into his familiar smirk that only made you want to spill everything even more. “What are you so afraid of?”

Your heart sank and you looked away. “A lot of things…” You murmured.

“Like…?” He tried to pry, but when you didn’t reply, he reached forward and gripped your chin, turning your gaze to his. The moment your eyes met, he pulled back his hand in a rush, as if embarrassed. “Sorry, I don’t know why I did that.”

You couldn’t stop the warmth from filling your cheeks as you traced your fingertips along your chin. “Part of you does remember me… doesn’t it?”

“I guess so,” he replied, setting down into a full seated position. “It would help a lot if you would just tell me how we–”

You cut him off with your lips, grabbing his coat and pulling him forward to close the distance. His breath caught, but he kissed you back without hesitation, his hands cupping your face as his tongue slid against yours. It was as if nothing had ever changed. He was still the same Xehanort you had fallen in love with and deep down, he knew it, too.

The kiss broke, both of you gasping for air as Xehanort leaned his head against yours.

“Alright, so really close then.” He noted, breathily laughing at your snicker in response. He hummed, pulling back to look into your eyes, searching them. “Will you tell me?”

You opened and closed your mouth, still unsure what the right thing to do was.

“Please,” he whispered. “Help me make sense of this.”

You looked back in his eyes, seeing the pleading gaze inside of them. With a soft smile, you nodded. “Alright. I’ll tell you everything.”


	8. If Shadows Could Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A long Ko-Fi reward for reaching a milestone on our blog.   
> The reward was a 5k+ word fic of the subject of our followers' choice.   
> This is what they chose: 
> 
> ~Vanitas discovers the relationship blooming between YMX x Fem!Reader and decides to use it to his advantage. What he doesn't account for is falling for her himself. ~

**If Shadows Could Talk ~Vanitas/Fem!Reader/YMX**  
The Young Master What If?

Words: 6513

————————————-

Letting out a cry, your blade sliced through what you hoped was the last of the strange creatures you’d been sent to investigate. Little was known about them aside from the fact that they were neither Heartless nor Nobody, though they seemed just as bent on causing destruction. They appeared in hordes, and there seemed to be no end to them. Their sudden appearance was as baffling as it was alarming, and, despite your best efforts, you’d learned nothing more about them. 

When you rose from your crouch and turned around to head back to Yen Sid’s tower, you stifled a groan. More of the creatures had popped up from the ground. Small and blue this time, they stood with their arms wrapped around themselves, red eyes looking around furtively, almost as if they were… nervous. You paused for the briefest of seconds before reassuming your fighting stance and jumping back into the fray.

Though these creatures were no more difficult to defeat than any Heartless or Nobody you’d come across, the longer you fought, the more you began to realize that you were quickly becoming vastly outnumbered. No matter how many of them you defeated, more sprang up to take their place. Just when you were beginning to despair at your situation and started looking for an opportunity to run and get help from your friends, you saw a dark corridor appear from the corner of your eye.

Immediately, some of the tension left your body, a small smile lifting your lips. He always had a way of showing up exactly when you needed him — whether you wanted him to or not, though most times you did.

“I was wondering if you’d show up,” you teased the hooded figure. Figures in black coats were a familiar sight to you, though you could truthfully say there was only one you looked forward to. “Xeha—” The nickname died on your lips, just as one of the creatures died on your blade and the rest of them froze. The creatures stood there, shivering, their eyes looking through and past, but never at you. And then the figure spoke.

“Couldn’t miss the chance to meet the girl the old man’s past self is so obsessed with.” He cocked his head and lowered the hood, though you weren’t sure if that improved his view of you through the helmet he wore. “Can’t say I’d be missing much. You definitely don’t look like anything special.”

Despite the fact that the creatures had stopped attacking and this stranger seemed to be making no move towards you, your body was tense, and you kept your blade raised. Nobody could know about your relationship with Xehanort. You winced inwardly at your stupidity of calling out his name when it could have been, and was, anybody under the hood. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He laughed mockingly, and the sound sent a chill down your spine. It went on for longer than it should have, long enough that you had just decided to make a run for it when he finally stopped.

“Don’t play dumb. You make it too obvious,” he said, disgust and disdain dripping from every word. “You thought I was him just now, and man, the look on your face.” You couldn’t see his face, but the sneer he must have been wearing came through loud and clear. “So why don’t you just drop the act?”

You scowled at his tone, even as you realized he was right. There was no use pretending you didn’t know what he was talking about when you’d been so obvious. You’d screwed up, big time, and had no idea how to fix it.

“What do you want?” You spat out. Looking around, you realized that the creatures hadn’t moved since he arrived, and still made no move towards you. You’d seen enough of beings of darkness controlling Heartless and Nobodies to realize when one was standing right in front of you. “Are you controlling these things? What are they? And why are they here? Are they Heartless?”

He scoffed and the sound caused your cheeks to redden. In the next moment, he summoned his weapon and you entirely forgot about your embarrassment as your eye widened and your forced yourself to be completely on guard.

“A Keyblade?”

The weapon in his hands could be nothing else, and really, it shouldn’t have surprised you so much to see it. The weapon was red and black, decorated with two different sized gears, the one making up the teeth incomplete and red, while the other provided the guard. Chains ran up and down the length of it and set into the top of the guard was a very familiar bright blue eye. You looked up at him with sharp suspicion.

“Who are you?”

“I’m the one asking the questions here.” He raised his Keyblade above his head. “But if you really wanna know so bad, you’re just gonna have to come and find out.”

You didn’t have time to think about what a bad idea it would be to fight one of the Darknesses, alone and with no knowledge of his fighting style or anything else, before he lunged at you and the battle began. You’d been fighting for most of your life and were no stranger to Keyblade Wielders, but you were utterly unprepared for the savage quickness of his attacks and fighting style. It was all you could do to dodge his attacks, the sound of your blades meeting ringing through the clearing.

You were already worn down from your fight with the creatures, and this guy was proving to be much smarter than them. He parried what magic you could cast and knocked away your blows as if they were nothing. A particularly forceful blow sent you stumbling back, and you righted yourself as quickly as you could. There would be no escape from his relentless attacks, and you were losing hope that any of your allies would find you in time, and even less hope that Xehanort would make a miraculous appearance. It seemed the masked boy had timed his attack on you perfectly.

Your eyes widened, finally seeing an opening in his attacks. You pushed yourself foward immediately with as much strength as you could muster, only for your blade to go right through him, as though he wasn’t even there. In the next instant, you felt a blow land on your back, knocking the wind out of you and sending you falling heavily to the ground. You turned over as quickly as you could, still gasping for air. Your breath froze in your chest when you saw his Keyblade pointing directly at your chest.

“Tough luck. Guess you won’t get answers after all.”

“Fine,” you huffed out, glaring at him. “Do it then. See what happens to you once he finds out.”

It wasn’t something you’d normally say, flaunting your relationship with Xehanort to anybody. But you were angry and tired and this boy already knew, and it did give you some small pleasure to imagine the consequences of his actions if he ended you here. Instead, he laughed again.

“That might mean something, if I were actually scared of that pretty boy. As entertaining as this was, I’m not here to end you. I actually have a little job for you.”

Your face immediately twisted into a scowl.

“You’re crazier than you look if you think I’d do anything for you.”

“As crazy as thinking you can get away with sneaking around with pretty boy without your friends knowing?” He spat the word ‘friends’ as though it was the most despicable thing he’d ever heard. “Wonder what they’d think about you two getting cozy.”

Your breath hitched again. Though he hadn’t said it explicitly, his meaning was loud and clear. Do as he said, or have your relationship with Xehanort revealed. Panic seized you and you tried your best to swallow it back down before speaking again.

“What do you want?”

You winced involuntarily as he suddenly stabbed his Keyblade into the ground and squatted down in front of you. Seeing your own face, flushed and eyes wide, reflected in his helmet sent your stomach churning in a disconcerting way. 

“Relax. It’s something even you can do.” You had to physically bite your tongue to keep from talking back. “All I want is for you to tell me where Ventus is.”

Your eyes widened in surprise.

“Why would I know that?”

His hand clenching tighter around the handle of his Keyblade was the only indication you got of his frustration, but it was enough.

“Sheesh, you really are useless. Your heroes of light are looking for Ventus. You’re going to tell me where they go, and when they find him, or they’re gonna know all about you and pretty boy, and then what will you do? You don’t really think they’d accept it, do you? Not even you’re that dumb.”

Though you wanted to shake your head and deny him immediately, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak. The thought of what your friends would say if they learned of you and Xehanort made your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth. Or maybe that was just because your mouth was unforgivably dry. You tried to swallow, and stared at the masked boy as if his face would suddenly become clear if you stared long enough.

“Fine.” Your voice was barely a whisper. “If I learn anything about…”

“Ventus,” he said sharply.

“Ventus. I’ll tell you.”

He let the silence stretch, and it took everything in you not to move a muscle as he, presumably, stared at you.

“Not gonna cut it,” he said finally. “I need something now.”

“But I don’t—!”

“Where are they going next?”

You pursed your lips. You knew exactly where they were going next, Sora had called on the Gummiphone that morning to let you all know that the next world on their map was a place called Monstropolis. But could you really just hand that information over to this guy? Movement from the corner of your eye caught your attention, and you looked away from him just long enough to see that his nervous looking creatures, the ones you’d felt guilty about destroying, were closing in.

“Well?”

“Monstropolis,” you said, looking away from him angrily.

“Monstropolis,” he repeated.

He stood abruptly, Keyblade disappearing in a flash of light. He didn’t make a sound or any further movements, but his creatures all began disappearing as well, until it was just the two of you in an empty clearing.

“I’ll keep in touch.”

You felt your blood begin to boil as he walked away towards a dark corridor, and couldn’t stop yourself from calling out after him.

“Sora is more than capable of taking you on,” you spat.

He paused for a moment longer and said, “I’m counting on it.”

Before you could say anything else, he was gone, and his portal behind him. For a moment, all you could do was stare after him and then, as tears began to prick your eyes, you pounded the ground with your fist.

“Stupid,” you cursed yourself, and cursed him.

It wasn’t that you’d given away Sora’s location. No, you truly believed what you said, and that Sora was more than a match for whoever that guy was. Had you not already been exhausted from his creatures, you knew you would have put up a better fight against him as well. You closed your eyes and sat where you’d fallen in the dirt until the tears stopped pricking at your eyes and you felt like you could finally go face Master Yen Sid with your report.

The whole way back, you were lost in thought. Despite knowing nothing about this guy, you knew he would make good on his threat to keep in touch, and you knew that you wouldn’t like that. You were thankful you didn’t run into anybody and could use your entire trek up Master Yen Sid’s many stairs to compose yourself. By the time you reached his study, you were able to deliver a full report, including your run in with the masked boy, while carefully avoiding any mention of Xehanort or the information you’d given away. Logically, you thought that it was likely the master would understand you giving information away under duress, but you couldn’t bring yourself to tell the truth about it. There was a crawling feeling under your skin, and you tried not to let your relief show on your face when Master Yen Sid finally dismissed you.

You kept your eyes downcast as you walked back to your room. The halls were empty, everyone off on their quests and missions to prepare for the war. Then there was you, escaping back to your room and desperately trying to keep your self deprecating thoughts under control that you had failed. 

The door to your room couldn’t come soon enough, as you shut it behind you and leaned back against it. Your eyes slipped shut, the lump in your throat tightening until you felt the familiar trickle of Darkness in your heart. 

“Welcome back,” Xehanort’s voice greeted you, making your eyes flutter open to see him standing near your desk with your newest trinket in his grasp. 

You blinked, the slightest smile curving your lips before it faltered and your eyes drifted towards the window overlooking the cosmos. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, prying as he placed the trinket back onto the desk. 

“You really need to stop showing up in here.” You told him, your voice small and distracted. “They can sense your Darkness.”

“And yet,” he put his arms out at his side as he drew your gaze and stepped towards you, “they haven’t found me.”

A slight breath of amusement slipped out of you at his smirk, but it faltered the longer he looked over you. He came to a stop in front of you, his arms crossed and head tilting to the side.

“What happened?” He asked, his brow quirking up when you looked away. 

“Nothing…” You muttered, not entirely sure why you were trying to lie to him. Perhaps it was guilt, a part of you that hoped that if your mistake wasn’t acknowledged, it would be as if it never happened.

“Y/N,” he softly said your name, arms still crossed, but his frown deepening as the silence lingered. With a sigh, he added, “I know something’s wrong. What is it?”

You swallowed, the tears returning and prickling the corners of your eyes. “Do… Do you know a boy in a black mask?”

Xehanort blinked rapidly, your question not being something he expected to hear. His brow furrowed as he thought about it, his hands tightening along his arms. 

“Why?” He merely asked, his voice low and causing your heart to lodge in your throat. “What did he do to you?”

Shaking your head, you pursed your lips, keeping in the sob that wanted to force its way out. 

“H-He knows, Xeha..” You forced your glassy eyes back to his widening ones. “He knows about us.” He was silent for a moment, his gaze absent, but filled with a simmering anger that made you almost afraid of his coming reaction. Your arms wrapped around yourself as a mixture of fear and guilt overwhelmed you and the breathless sob escaped. “He knows everything,” you told him, your shoulders shaking. 

“What happened…?” He asked in a low, quiet voice. When you hesitated, he added, “Y/N.”

That was all you needed. The words came pouring out, mixing with your trembling voice and tears as they escaped down your cheeks. Xehanort listened without interruption, bringing you over to the bed to sit along the edge as you told him everything. About the mysterious creatures and how you had so foolishly called out Xehanort’s name when the masked figure appeared, so you couldn’t even deny his accusations. How you had given away vital info about your team and had lost. By the end of it, you were unable to meet your gaze with his. You were ashamed. 

He had knelt in front of you, listening to your every word with his hand along your knee. His grip had tightened as you talked, until he abruptly stood up and went to the window. You barely managed to raise your eyes up to him, seeing his absent, narrowed gaze as he stared out at the stars. The silence between you lingered, growing thicker with each passing second until you spoke up. 

“Xeha—”

“Don’t worry.” he interrupted you, drawing your gaze as you gasped. “I’ll take care of that parasite.”

You blinked, a sense of relief washing over you even though the dark tone in his voice caused the slightest bit of unease in your gut. There was no denying that Xehanort had his more sinister sides. He was, after all, a past incantation of Master Xehanort himself, but it was moments like this, when he vowed to protect you with such intensity, that you realized just who you had fallen in love with. 

Taking in a shaking breath, you tightened your hands in your lap. 

“Who is he…?”

“Vanitas.” He spat out the name as if it were venom, his voice bitter and low. “But you don’t need to worry about him.”

“Vanitas,” you repeated his name under your breath, noticing Xehanort tensing further from hearing you say it. “Then those creatures… did they come from him?”

Xehanort let out a harsh breath. 

“It doesn’t concern you.”

Your gaze shot up to him. 

“It does concern me.” You stood from the bed, your hand going to your heart. “I just got threatened and blackmailed by him! You can’t be here for me every second of the day. If he comes back–”

“He won’t,” he assured you with a near hiss in his voice, making you freeze. “He’ll be lucky to still be alive after I’m done with him.”

Despite his threat being made to protect you, dread seeped into your heart. “You don’t have to go that far.”

“Just leave it to me, alright?” He turned towards you, his hands going to your arms. Despite the seemingly gentle touch, his grip was tight and tense. “He won’t bother you again.”

Your hands instinctively went to his chest, feeling the thud of his pounding heart against your palms. 

“How did he know..? How could he have found out?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he waved you off, his hands running along your arms. 

“It does if it means the others could find out the same way.” You pointed out, looking up to him. 

Taking in a breath, his hands left your arms as he went pace around the room. 

“It was his Unversed— had to be.”

“His… Unversed?” You asked, turning towards him and watching him pace. 

“Those creatures you faced,” he explained, arms crossed and eyes downcast towards the floor. He didn’t want to give you an explanation, but you had forced his hand. “They come from him.”

“What do you mean they come from him?” You asked, your arms wrapping around yourself as the dread in your heart sunk deeper. “He can control them?”

“More than that,” he stopped walking, huffing out a harsh breath. “This isn’t something you need to know.”

“You’ve gotten info from me in the past.” You pointed out to him, ignoring the pulse of guilt the words sent through your heart. “What’s so different about you giving it to me?” 

He was silent for a beat, staring at the ground before his eyes slid shut with a sigh. 

“They’re a part of him. Born from his emotions. What they see and feel, he sees and feels the same.”

“Everything…?” Your voice caught in your throat as his words sunk in.

“Yes, everything.”

“Then… killing them—” you spoke slowly, your voice shaking as you realized why you had felt inexplicable guilt while destroying the creatures. “He feels that, too…”

A scoff from Xehanort drew your gaze, seeing him shaking his head and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “That’s not a detail you need to be focusing on.”

“I’m not wrong though, am I?” You asked.

He took in a breath. 

“I don’t know. Honestly.” Turning towards you he shrugged. “Neither of us have a reason to care.”

You winced from his cold words. His disdain for Vanitas was a stark contrast to your pity. 

“Maybe not,” you admitted. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t help to know.”

“Agreed, but that’s not the way you see it.” He went to you, his fingers going to your chin to tip your gaze up to his. “Is it?”

Your hand went to his wrist, moving his grip away from your face. 

“No… if anything, it helps me understand why we’re on different sides of this war.”

“Don’t bring that up right now.” He told you with the slightest hint of exasperation in his voice. “I’m trying to protect you.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be,” you countered with a mumble, half heartedly hoping he didn’t hear your words, but you felt him tense under your touch. 

“What are you trying to say?”

You sucked in a breath, shutting your eyes. 

“I’m… I’m saying that we shouldn’t even be doing this. Vanitas wouldn’t be an issue if we weren’t sneaking around in the first place.”

“Do you really want to go back to that?” He asked, trying to keep back his growing frustration as you looked up at him. “Trying desperately to stay away from each other—” His free hand brushed back your hair, his fingertips warming your cheek as he stared back in your eyes. “—until one of us falters and we’re right back to where we’ve been.”

Your eyes wanted to flutter shut, to lean into his touch and allow him to soothe away your worries. Just as you had been doing the past several months, falling for his every word and promise. The swell of dread and uneasiness throbbed in your chest, reminding you of your situation and everything your so called relationship with Xehanort had caused. 

Looking away, you stepped back from his grasp, wrapping your arms around yourself. 

“I think you should leave…” You forced the words out, your eyes shutting as you heard his responding sigh. 

Your words were met with silence. A silence that grew heavier the longer you stood apart from each other. A lump of strained emotion formed in your throat, mixing between wanting to beg him to stay and forcing yourself to push him further away. He decided for you as you heard a Corridor sprout up from the floor. 

“Fine then,” he muttered, turning around and disappearing in the Corridor. 

It was several days before you received your next mission. Long enough that the worry about what Vanitas would do had faded to a dull roar in the back of your mind, and the news of his defeat, if only temporary, at Sora’s hands had reached you back at Master Yen Sid’s tower. A very small part of you dared to hope that this would mean he’d leave you alone, though you knew better than to think his first visit would be his last.

Now, as you walked through the outskirts of the Kingdom of Corona patrolling for Heartless — a simple, if boring mission for Kairi to get some experience as to what being in battle was really like — you were praying that Vanitas would stay far away.

“Y/N?”

“Huh?”

You snapped out of your trance, looking up and into Kairi’s concerned blue eyes.

“Are you alright? You’ve been very quiet lately.” She smiled reassuringly at you. “If there’s something bothering you, you can tell me!”

You paused for a moment before mustering up a small smile.

“Sorry, Kairi. I’m okay, I just… have a lot on my mind.”

It was the biggest understatement you probably could have made. Between worrying about what Vanitas would do, and wondering if Xehanort had taken care of things like he said he would, and missing him terribly and wishing you hadn’t sent him away, your mind was a constant jumble. But you could hardly share any of that with Kairi. As open-minded as the heroes of light could be, you knew none of them would accept your relationship with Xehanort.

“Yeah,” she sighed in agreement. “I have too lately.” You looked up to find her staring wistfully at the flowers that lined your path, reaching out with her hand to ever so gently brush their petals. “This war… once it’s all over, we’ll finally get to go home, right? All of us?”

You couldn’t help but smile a little at Kairi’s perceptiveness. She didn’t have the whole picture, but the war had been something that plagued your thoughts for a long time now. The thought of what would happen to you and Xehanort during that final showdown was something you tried desperately to avoid thinking about. 

“Yeah, of course we will.” 

You let your smile widen. There was no need to burden her with the possibility of your side losing. Kairi’s answering smile was tentative, but real, and sudden guilt assaulted you. Nobody knew that you’d been the one to tell Vanitas where Sora was, and Kairi’s trusting smile was too much for you to bear.

“Hey, why don’t we take a break? You can rest, and I’ll do a quick check to make sure everything’s clear.”

“Oh, that’s okay! I don’t need a break,” Kairi insisted.

You hesitated, unable to look at her directly.

“A…actually Kairi, if it’s okay… I’d like to take a walk by myself. Just for a little bit, then we’ll go back.”

“Oh, okay,” she agreed, voice confused. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”

Forcing another smile, you said, “Thanks, Kairi.”

Without waiting for a response, you began walking, only paying enough attention to your path to ensure you could make it back. Conflicting emotions swirled through you; guilt, sadness, fear, anger. It hadn’t taken you long at all to regret sending Xehanort away, even if you knew it was the right thing. You sighed, sitting down on a rock and staring out over the lake that had just been hidden from your and Kairi’s view. If staying away from Xehanort was the right thing to do… then why did it hurt so badly?

You wrapped your arms around yourself, lips parting.

“I wish you were here…”

“Somehow I don’t think you’re talking about me.” Your gaze snapped up, finding a nearby boulder, and sitting on top of it was Vanitas. His still masked face rested in his palm as he looked down at you. Even though you had no idea what he looked like, it was easy enough to imagine that he was smirking at you as he spoke. “Heard you tried to let pretty boy go. The whole ‘moping over lost love’ thing got old fast. Pretty pathetic.”

“Do you have an actual reason for being here?” you snapped.

Hearing about how Xehanort was just as upset as you were wasn’t helping your decision, or your guilt, and it prickled you to hear Vanitas making fun of it.

“I did say I’d be in touch,” he said nonchalantly, dropping from his perch on the boulder at the same time several Unversed rose from the ground in front of you. “I haven’t found Ventus yet, and you know what that means.”

You scoffed, settling for glaring at his Unversed since the real object of your frustrations was standing behind you.

“Go to hell.” You stood abruptly, ready to go back to Kairi. But the moment you tried to walk away, the Unversed barricaded your path. Spinning to face Vanitas, you spat, “You’re really pushing it, you know that?”

He cocked his head at you.

“You think that attitude’s gonna scare me off?”

His casual response in the face of your anger made you pause and your eyes darted around at the Unversed.

“The Unversed, I know they come from you.” He didn’t answer. “Why do you send them to fight for you, and be destroyed, if…? Is it because of Xehanort? Is running around for that old man really what you want to do with your life?”

“I’m the one who asks the questions.” 

He summoned his Keyblade in a flash of light, holding it at the ready. Your eyes widened before you rolled them and crossed your arms.

“You’re really going to start a fight because you don’t want to answer my questions?”

“You talk too much,” he said simply.

Irritation surged through you as you summoned your own blade in response.

“Fine. But if I win, I want some answers.”

His only response was to dart forward, swinging his Keyblade at you. You met it with yours, glaring at him before forcing him back and immediately following it up with your own attack. You knew how quick he was, and this time you’d be prepared for it. Your blades continued clashing, while the Unversed stayed back, watching but unmoving. The knowledge that they were just standing there watching unnerved you, but you pushed down those feelings.

He was just as quick as you remembered him, and it took all of your concentration to counter his blows, but this time you weren’t worn out from fighting. The sound of your blades meeting rang through the air. Though you wouldn’t admit it out loud, the fight actually felt… therapeutic. All the anger that you’d been holding in, all the doubts and missing Xehanort came pouring out in your blows as you swung your blade much harder than you might have normally. Your sudden ferocity seemed to surprise him, though you couldn’t tell for sure without seeing his face.

As you swung again, your blade went right through him. You jumped back quickly, prepared for the way he then attacked from above, thinking you were distracted by his illusion. Taking advantage of his vulnerability, you swung at him again. His responding block just barely managed to stop your blade and in the next moment, you were holding it to his throat.

“Why are you even here? It’s pointless, this fight is pointless!”

Your eyes widened as he knocked your blade away effortlessly, as though you hadn’t just been holding it at his throat.

“I never said I’d answer anything.”

Before you could do anything else, he turned his back on you and you were surrounded by dozens of Unversed. Vanitas disappeared through his corridor and his Unversed jumped at you, leaving you no choice but to continue fighting.

Your heart was lodged in your throat, pounding and struggling to get a full breath of air. That battle with Vanitas had taken more out of you than you wanted to admit. You considered calling for Kairi, she had to have been wondering where you had run off to, but if she hadn’t come running from the sound of your blade meeting Vanitas’, it was possible she was too far away to hear. It was probably for the best. Last thing you wanted to do was try to explain why the Unversed had shown up. 

Purple smoke erupted around your blade as you sliced through a row of creatures, their dull cries resonating through you as they faded from existence. You grimaced at the sound, knowing that Vanitas was feeling their demise. There wasn’t anything you could do about it, he was the one forcing them on you. 

The sound of a blade appearing made your breath catch as you instinctively whisked around and sliced through the air, only to be blocked by Xehanort’s blade. You froze, lips parted and soundlessly forming his name as he stared back at you, an all too familiar smirk curving his mouth. 

Before you could find the words for your sudden flurry of emotions, he grabbed your arm, tugging you behind him and striking down a lunging Unversed. The sight caused your own lips to curve into a smirk as he glanced back at you over his shoulder. As if on command, both of you sprang into action. Xehanort’s blasts of darkness spread through the mass of creatures, mixing and igniting with your own casts of light. Puffs of purple smoke billowed around you, as blades and magic tore through the Unversed. 

There was something invigorating with fighting by Xehanort’s side. In the past, the two of you had always fought the other. The adrenaline you got from it was unlike anything you had ever experienced, but this… this was something else entirely. 

You glanced over your shoulder at Xehanort when you heard him yell, seeing darkness emanating off of him as he raised his Keyblade into the air. It was a move you recognized, your eyes widening as the pillar of darkness pierced into the air, forming into balls of darkness that rained down on the ground below. 

“Xeha!” You yelled out his name, dispelling your blade and about to run out of range before he disappeared and reappeared right in front of you. 

His arm wrapped behind you, pulling you closer as his other hand went up, summoning a shimmering, translucent shield that completely surrounded both of you. Darkness rained down around you, decimating the remaining Unversed outside of your safe haven. Your eyes danced over the battlefield, but then focused back up to Xehanort. His gaze was set on you, the slightest smirk tugging his lips as he held you close. Your hands rested on his chest, feeling his heart pounding underneath your fingertips. 

As the final piece of darkness disappeared, so did the shield surrounding you. Neither of you made a sound or an attempt to move, until Xehanort’s eyes drifted towards your lips. You wanted to give in, to tell him how much you had missed him, how happy you were that he had shown up, but one thought to everything happening made you avert your gaze entirely. 

Clearing your throat, you stepped back from him, your hands sliding back to your sides. 

“Thank you,” you muttered, barely able to look back at him as you turned to walk away. 

“Wait,” he spoke up, his voice calm, but also strained. 

You shook your head, refusing to look back at him as you escaped towards the forest. 

“Y/N, wait,” he tried again, the near desperation in his voice causing a lump to form in your throat. 

“Leave me alone, Xeha,” you simply told him, the tremble of emotion obvious in your voice as you continued to walk away. 

You immediately regretted saying his name. The sound of it made your heart feel as if it were being squeezed and twisted all at once. Sucking in a breath, you shook your head again, roughly pushing at your eyes to keep back the tears that threatened to escape. 

A Corridor sprouted up behind you and you were sure it was Xehanort leaving, which sparked the slightest bit of hurt inside of you even though you were the one that told him to leave. It reappeared right in front of you, making you gasp as you stumbled back. Xehanort stepped out of it, the Corridor wisping out of existence as he grabbed your shoulders.

“X-Xeha, stop, you know–”

Your words were cut off by his lips crashing against yours. His hand slid up to your neck, his thumb caressing your jawline as he kissed you deeply and passionately, sharing every moment he missed being beside you without a single word needing to be said. You whimpered, your hands going to his chest to push him back, but you instead found yourself stepping closer, allowing his arm to wrap around your waist until your bodies were touching. Despite every warning bell going off in your head, you couldn’t help but kiss him back with just as much passion as he gave you. 

The kiss broke in a rush, both of you breathless as your eyes danced over the other. You knew you should be telling him to leave, that it was wrong and so many other things you had recited over and over again, but it always led back to his arms. 

“Don’t push me away.” He told you, his hand cupping your cheek as you leaned into his touch despite your better judgement. “You know nothing can keep us apart. We’re stronger together.”

You had to disagree, you needed to. None of this would be happening if you hadn’t been sneaking around with him. All the secrets, the lies… all of it was because of the man standing in front of you. The man that you had fallen in love with. 

For the first time in weeks, your heart settled. All the pain, the sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, it was gone. Xehanort always had that certain way of washing it away when he was around. You swallowed hard, your lips parting as you formed the words to tell him no, to tell him that he needed to leave, but instead you found yourself leaning forward, meeting your lips with his. 

It was a softer, lingering kiss than the one you had shared just a moment before. Xehanort sighed into your mouth, smiling as he ran his thumb along your cheek. 

A slow clap shattered through the romantic haze as the kiss reluctantly broke. You blinked, seeing the dark look in Xehanort’s eyes as he growled and looked over his shoulder into the darkness of the forest. He pulled back from you, keeping you protectively behind him as he turned around. 

The clap heightened in volume as Vanitas appeared from the Darkness, his hands meeting together one last time, the sound of it making your jump as your heart sank to the pit of your stomach. 

“What do you know? The power couple is back together.” Vanitas spoke up, his tone as if he were speaking to children. “Bet the old man would be thrilled to hear.”

Xehanort’s eyes narrowed, stepping forward as he spoke lowly, “I’d choose your next words carefully.”

“Xeha, don’t,” you grabbed his arm, noticing Vanitas’ gaze shift towards you. 

There was something different about his stare, a certain weight in it, even though all you could see was your own reflection in his mask. He stayed silent, staring back at you as the tips of his fingers fidgeted at his side. Your heart skipped in your chest, feeling somehow vulnerable as the tips of your ears warmed. 

“Yeah, yeah, pretty boy,” Vanitas looked away, turning around, “I get the picture.” 

“Vanitas,” you said his name, feeling Xehanort tense from you calling out to him. Your voice went unheeded as a Corridor sprouted from the ground and Vanitas disappeared within it. 

With a heavy breath, Xehanort’s shoulders slumped as the tension left him. 

“You won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“I’m not so sure…” You muttered, looking away when Xehanort glanced back at you. If anything, you were certain that wasn’t the last you’d see of the masked boy. 

————————————–

-Mods Amar and Lucky


End file.
